Let's Begin Our TRIP Journey by Nozima Sultonova

Hello everyone, my name is Nozima Sultonova and I would love to share some parts of my life with the new Trip community of 2024! I’m currently a sophomore at Central Bucks East High School and I moved here about three years ago from Northeast Philly in 8th grade. It was such a drastic change in my life because not only was I coming into a new school, but also as a new hijabi after two years of doing online school during COVID-19. My younger self was doubtful of this change as she feared it would distance her from the diverse community that she grew up in at her old school. However, after adapting to the new environment of this school, she was able to find activities that aligned with her interests.

I can proudly say I’ve been a “lawyer” for the past two years. If I were to tell the story of how I joined the Mock Trial team, it would take a whole day, but I can keep it short and sweet; I remember passing objection notes to my brother from the corner of his desk while he faced the computer screen. This was during his online Mock Trial “trial.” Ever since those days, I’ve held onto my goal of competing at mock trials until I graduate. If it isn’t obvious yet, it’s one of my favorite communities. In three days, it will be our second round of competition, so we have been busy preparing nonstop. Wish us luck!

Speaking of community, I feel myself most attached to my Muslim brothers and sisters out there. I don’t see many at my school, so I was excited to meet a hijabi at TRIP yesterday! I’m sure there are Muslims at my school that I haven’t had the chance to meet, so I’m in the process of starting a Muslim School Association (MSA) club by the end of this month. At the beginning of my high school career this year, I was eager to be a part of the MSA to connect with other Muslims. It’s common in other schools, but East didn’t have one yet, so now I’ve made it my goal to establish one as soon as possible. Hopefully, it will expand into a larger community as time goes by. By the end of these blogs, this club will be up and running. ​

Outside of school, I’m working on my science fair experiment to develop ways we can overcome climate change. We notice global warming on a large scale and not so much on individual organisms such as plants. I’m conducting an experiment on how different environmental changes affect our everyday plants’ health. Part of the reason I chose this topic was because I personally love growing plants and flowers. When spring comes, my mom and I start our garden grind while my dad continues his pepper and tomato farm; we use them to make “shakarop,” a traditional Uzbek salad. Aside from cooking, baking, and eating, we Central Asians are also obsessed with martial arts. First I did Karate for four years, then I switched over to Taekwondo. They’re both thrilling sports, especially during sparring. 

Yesterday was our first day of TRIP. It was an exciting experience since I got to meet both of the directors, Dr. Leystra and Dr. Purdy, the teaching instructors, Dr. Valdes and Mr. Cozzone, and the teaching assistants, Anoosha and Niki. We got to try out the micropipettes and set up our drugs and stressors which we will be testing next class. At the beginning, I was nervous but as time progressed, we got to see a glimpse of what awaited us for the next three months. I can already tell we’ll make great memories with the team as I have met many goal-driven people. By working together, we’ll develop strong collaboration skills and leave Trip with useful ideas. I might start at zero today, but I aim to reach higher by the end of this trip. I’ve come here to sharpen my thinking skills and stretch my capabilities by challenging myself with the knowledge that I know I can achieve if I work hard enough. I truly want to make use of every opportunity that’s provided in this program.