Sediqa Karem Sha: 'They are all very understanding and there for you'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sediqa Karem Sha

Junior

Marina High School

Marina High School junior Sediqa Karem Sha wants students, teachers and staff alike to know that it doesn’t matter what school you attend, how big or small, it’s that you have to have a relationship. For Sediqa and her peers, the culture at Marina High is conducive to building relationships.

“If I was to walk around the school and find a classroom with a teacher I didn’t know that teacher is there to help you,” Sediqa says. “There is anybody you can talk to even if you don’t know them...they are all very understanding and there for you.”

 

Sediqa came to the United States in 5th grade and attended Marina Vista Elementary Arts Academy and Los Arboles Middle School before attending Marina High.

 

“I like that it’s (Marina High School) diverse and helps students be ready and not scared or afraid that they aren’t going to make it. Marina High helps with communication skills and not feeling alone, and being unique is okay," Sediqa said.

In addition to taking courses such as music production and advanced culinary, Sediqa plays on the varsity soccer team, is active in the My Voice Club, and serves as a student representative on the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s Board of Education. In this role, she provides regular updates about Marina High during each board of education meeting.

 

One of the most defining moments for her was this school year when she and her peers participated alongside Marina High teachers and staff in Breaking Down the Walls, a program designed to create a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding.

 

“It was an amazing activity and we should do it each year because it helps us be better with each other,” Sediqa says. “After the activity people would come up to me and say hi. They were more outgoing and understanding.”

Post high school, she hopes to attend Monterey Peninsula College for two years and hopes to apply to Harvard, Stanford or another Ivy League school. While she doesn’t have a career in mind yet, she has thought about a therapist because it’s about listening and understanding, and helping someone move forward who may be confused about life.