Aisha Sattar learned the importance of giving back from a young age.
There are plenty of ways her family instilled that trait in her, but one that stands out involves the dedication of her grandmother, Naseem.
“Growing up, me and my cousins would always go to a food pantry that my grandma ran with her friends,” Sattar said. “Every summer morning, we’d be going with our grandmother to a pantry. The little stuff – stacking up cans, whatever it may be – I think I’ve always grown up around that value that you would always be giving back no matter what form it is. No matter how small your actions are, they mean something.”
That commitment to helping others is one reason Sattar, a senior at Hilliard Darby High School, was selected as the recipient of this year’s John H. McConnell Scholarship by the Blue Jackets Foundation.
Mr. Mac had a deep-rooted belief in the importance of giving back to the community, and the scholarship fund was created in 2008 to recognize a high school senior each year who closely personifies the character and leadership that Mr. Mac valued.
When Sattar first heard about the opportunity from a guidance counselor at Darby, she did her research and came to believe the scholarship was a perfect fit.
“I always like to make sure when I’m applying for anything, whether it be a job or a scholarship, that I do my research,” Sattar said. “I remember I was sitting there on my laptop reading about John H. McConnell and looking through his values and everything, and I remember thinking, ‘This is perfect. This totally aligns with how I set my goals and a lot of the work that I’m doing.’
“I was filling out my application, and it was almost easy because of how much I felt that I aligned with him. When I heard I actually got the scholarship, it was very exciting. I called my mom right after, and I remember my parents were also very excited. I think knowing the meaning behind the scholarship is what made it so much more meaningful to myself and what made me so excited in the first place.”
There are a bevy of experiences that Sattar can point to as far as her dedication to her studies and helping her school and her community. At Hilliard Darby, she was a member of the junior and sophomore class cabinets and National Honor Society, played tennis, and was a member of the Diversity Club, French Club and the Amnesty International student group.
Sattar also founded the Muslim Student Association at the Darby – just like her sister, Iman, did at a previous school when the family lived in Texas – as a freshman and was a part of Key Club, where she served as the Lieutenant Governor of the Ohio district for the community service organization.
“I took (Iman) as motivation and inspiration, and I started that club my freshman year,” she said of the Muslim Student Association. “I kind of went in blind, but it was really successful considering a lot of the clubs at our school tend to not be very active. That was something I wanted to make sure didn’t happen to my club, so we carried out a lot of events throughout the year.
“(Key Club) allowed me to channel the skills I had been building up to a higher level and make sure that although we can have clubs running in our district, all the other students in Ohio have the opportunity as well. I think just going through high school and gaining more and more skills as I go has allowed me to give back to larger audiences, which was my goal throughout.”
Outside of school, you wonder how Sattar had time to get everything done. She served as a tutor, summer camp counselor and Sunday school teacher, volunteered with CAIR-Ohio, was on a community soccer team for Muslim girls, had a summer medical internship as a nursing aide, and even found time to serve as co-owner of a baking business and work as a henna artist.
Sattar’s ultimate goal is to follow some family members into the medical field, and she plans on attending Ohio State next year on a pre-dental track. Receiving the $10,000 scholarship from the Blue Jackets Foundation will go a long way in helping her achieve her dream of helping others.
“Having this scholarship is honestly a huge way to allow me to pursue this goal of mine,” she said. “Dental school or any grad school is known to be very expensive, so having this support in my journey will definitely allow me to have school be much more attainable and have it in reach.”
Sattar and her fellow scholarship winners were recognized at the Blue Jackets game April 8 vs. Ottawa, and she was able to bring her family along as well.
“This was actually my first time ever going to a hockey game, so overall it was a very exciting experience,” she said. “I also love that I was able to bring my parents and my siblings and get to experience that with them. I think that made it all the more meaningful. I really appreciate the fact they took out that time in the game to have that recognition. It was a great experience.”
