Zara Musa is an incredibly motivated and impactful senior at the school. Throughout her four years here, she has gotten involved with many aspects of the community, become very passionate, and followed her goals and dreams to continue making an impact beyond her high school years.
Over the past four years, she has been a meaningful part of the Black Student Union, the Principal’s Advisory Committee, the Model United Nations, and the Ambassadors Club. Not only that, but outside of school, she has worked at Aspire After School Learning over the summers, served on the Arlington Teen Network Board, and interned at Turn Up Activism and The Board Project. Most of her activities are centered on public policy and related areas.
“Clubs in specific have been super impactful, especially with leadership to learn how to work with other people, learning more about different perspectives and where different people come from,” Musa said. “That’s been enriching for me to use in my life and interact with people day-to-day. I think it’s super important to have a bigger horizon than just where you grow up or what you know, so I think these things have been super impactful in changing and shaping the way I view the world. I’m always willing to try new things and things of that sort.”
Musa’s biggest interest is in politics and international affairs, which she plans to pursue as a degree at Howard University. She was first inspired by her mom, an attorney who works on relations between the United States (U.S.) and other countries. She then followed these interests by working with the two corporations, Turn Up Activism and The Board Project, which were mostly focused on global politics. Building on this interest, she took many history courses in school, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Politics course, Advanced Placement (AP) Government, AP U.S History, and IB Psychology. In general, she also keeps up with current world news and shares it on her social media.
“An interest that I have completely outside of school is fashion,” Musa said. “I have spent a lot of my life being super academically focused, and I feel like my fashion is a way I can express myself. I love fashion, and I go thrifting. I’m just super into a lot of archive fashion. You can see it on my TikTok and the stuff I’ve saved on my Pinterest.” (follow her TikTok at zara_sanariii)
Musa has truly taken advantage of all the opportunities available to her at the school through various leadership roles and by signing up for a variety of activities.
“I’ve exposed myself to a lot of different things, like being the president of Black Student Union. A lot of people know me as a reference or a point of contact for certain things. I talked to the president of Arlington’s NAACP, and I think just different ways through that as well. I also have connections with teachers and administrators; you never know who they can put you in touch with. The education the school has given us allows us to explore different things, even heavy topics, and opens our minds. You see a lot of other kids who have not been put in multicultural spaces or spaces with a lot of different perspectives, and they’re very close-minded, so I think the school has given me a lot of opportunities and the tools to help me pursue my passions.”
Musa has reflected on her high school experiences and sees that they have prepared her to take advantage of all the opportunities opening up to her for the future.
“I’m honestly just proud of my journey,” Musa said. “I think I’ve worked really hard, had a lot of ups and downs both academically, in terms of my mental health, and my physical health. So I’m just proud of the fact that I’ve gone through this for years, and I’ve gone through them pretty well. I’m really just proud of the fact that no matter the outcome, I am super-duper proud of the fact that I know I tried, and I tried hard. I’m really proud of the journey and knowing that I truly worked for something hard, and I was genuinely challenged.”
The future looks very bright for Musa, as she has a lot of ambition and the ability to make the world a better place for herself and the people around her.
“There are a lot of things from high school that shape my life,” Musa said. “Being exposed to different people in different cultures and becoming closer to people who are from different backgrounds. I had to learn how to navigate [problems], how to ask for help, how to be resilient, and I think that is something super big that I’m gonna carry for the rest of my life.”
Musa is planning to atten Howard University. She plans to double major in international affairs and economics. She also wants to go to law school and get a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration degree (JDMBA). After college, Musa wants to work in the West African development space, either in the public or private sector.
“I’m an older sister to two younger siblings,” Musa said. “The responsibility of being a role model motivates me a lot. In addition, my ambition strongly motivates me. I wanna become an attorney. There are so many things I know I want to do, and I want to achieve in my life, and I think that’s a super big motivating factor for me.”
Musa is looking forward to more freedom and learning in the real world. She has always been the type of person who loves going to school, and she is excited to pursue a major she loves and cares deeply about.
“My biggest advice is to try to challenge yourself,” Musa said. “But if you really notice that something is not going to work in your time commitment, or you don’t have the energy and effort just to add an extra thing on there, please do not take that thing up. I think a lot of times, we are encouraged to do as much as possible. This kind is just like the capitalist society we live in, but it’s really important and good for your well-being to be able to take a step back. I don’t need to pursue every single opportunity. Be confident, be yourself, try new things. Try anything you want, put yourself out there, just try new things.”
Musa is a senior who has made a significant impact on the school community and will continue to do so wherever she goes next. She leaves behind an inspired community for her passion for learning and activism.
“The legacy I would like to leave is being someone who was involved,” Musa said. “I’m always all over the school. I would love to come back as an alum, after I become an attorney and when I’ve fulfilled all the goals that I want.”
