A lot has happened during the duration of my senior project, and I’m thoroughly surprised and impressed by it all. I was passionate about the problem of uninformed voting, but it took me a good while to understand how to organize my information and formulate my paper properly. Getting sources for everything I wanted to convey was tiring. Alhamdulillah, Sr. Evelyn was there to guide through it all.
Sr. Fayzeh had also done a grand job by recommending that I reach out to the Michigan Muslim Community Council for a product. This allowed me to work with my mentor, Br. Muzammil Ahmed, and bring Michigan Islamic School to the Capitol Day event that my mentor’s organization annually arranges. The thought of helping the group out to make Capitol Day 2020 an amazing event daunted me, but so far everything has been smooth sailing for me.
I was aware of most of the points that my paper brought up on how uninformed voting manifested and what it caused, but that didn’t protect me from being shocked at how interlinked that they were. Bandwagoning, persuasive rhetoric, misdirection, political bias, and disinterest in politics are a grotesque combination, and it startles me that only so many people bother to recognize that they undermine American elections. It’s enough to convince me to bring it up with other people whenever possible and if appropriate -- the more people think about their votes, the better.
What I would do differently had I another chance at making this project, I don’t know, but I’d say that I would provide more time for myself on the project. For the seniors out there, I want you to realize that your project should mean something to you, and because it means something to you, you should be putting your time and heart into it. That’s how scientists make discoveries, writers complete books and novels, geographers perfect maps, and citizens form an ideal society.