Meet our $2500 “Best Summer Ever” Scholarship Winner, Anisa Siddikova!
We’re thrilled to introduce Anisa Siddikova, our $2500 “Best Summer Ever” Scholarship Winner! Anisa is originally from Tajikistan. She moved to the U.S. when she was 9 years old to join her mom, who had come here a few years before to study nursing. Anisa faced a lot of challenges at the beginning of her new life - she didn’t speak any English, so school was extremely challenging and her grades suffered. But one of Anisa’s best qualities is her grit and determination. She worked hard, improved her grades, and discovered a passion for microbiology.
These days, Anisa has just started 9th grade at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Brooklyn, NY. After school and on weekends, she’s getting valuable lab experience by studying alongside a microbiology professor at Long Island University, and loving every minute! Anisa dreams of getting a medical degree and then working for the CDC, curing infectious diseases.
Check out the video below to hear Anisa’s story in her own words:
Hello, my name is Anisa Siddikova, and I’m from New York City. I was originally born in Tajikistan. When I was 3 years old, my mom came to the United States, and I stayed behind with my grandparents in Tajikistan for 6 years. When I turned 9, I finally came to the United States and was reunited with my mom.
But school in the U.S. was extremely difficult, because I didn’t know the language. In the 3rd grade, I passed all of my classes with just 1s. However, I constantly strived to learn as fast as I could. One night in 4th grade, I told myself that it wouldn't hurt to try to study. So, I opened up the textbook and studied it until the last page of the chapter! The next morning, we had a test. There were a number of extra credit questions which we hadn't learned in class, but were in the textbook. As I answered them, I was glad that I had pushed myself to study! The next day, as my teacher began giving out the test papers, I had gotten a 70%! This was a big improvement from the constant 10%-50% I had gotten before. I was proud of myself for persevering and it taught me the value of hard work and determination when attempting to accomplish anything. Because of this valuable lesson, for future tests in the 4th grade, I scored my highest scores ever and was also the highest scorer in the class!
In 8th grade, a friend introduced me to the research she was doing in the City College of New York. I also began studying and doing work at the City College of New York on spectroscopy and infrared light. At the end of 8th grade, I decided that I would like to pursue research in microbiology. Therefore, I began to email numerous professors, asking if they would be willing to take me into their research programs. I sent numerous emails which weren't responded to. Nevertheless, I simply did not give up. I finally got a response from a professor at LIU Brooklyn, who invited me to work in his lab! I am currently working on a new type of antibiotic and its effect on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as e-coli.
I’d also like to say how simple, easy, and convenient it was to make the Cirkled In profile. It sums up who you are as a person. You can add pictures after writing a summary of all your interests and accomplishments, and I would recommend it to anyone who is applying for college, an internship, a new job, or any volunteering.
As for the future, I would like to pursue a degree in microbiology and infectious diseases, and also go to medical school. I’d like to study at Columbia University and NYU, which requires a lot of money, which is why I’m applying for scholarships!
I’m extremely honored and privileged to have received this scholarship. Thank you to the Cirkled In team!
Congratulations, Anisa! We couldn’t be more thrilled to help you accomplish your dreams.
