Fifth

“I remember waking up to a torrential downpour of rain. The wind was howling and the sun was completely covered by dark, fast-moving clouds. Hurricane Francis hit Orlando on September 5^th, 2004, and it really wasn’t how I wanted to wake up on my ninth birthday! I thought for sure that this day would go down in the record books as the worst birthday I’d ever have. What I didn’t know was that my family was determined this wouldn’t happen, and that they did all they could to make the best of the circumstances. My mother dug through the kitchen to find anything that remotely resembled a birthday cake, and my dad rummaged through the house to find makeshift birthday decorations. This resulted in a blueberry muffin with a single birthday candle on it, presented on a plate that had “Happy Birthday” written on it in chocolate syrup. By now, the hurricane had become a tropical storm, and my dad was quick to call some of our closest friends and ask them to come over for my birthday. They all came over just to celebrate with me (and the muffin cake). Hands down, my favorite birthday.” – Shujan Valiani

Bio: I am a Pakistani Muslim from Orlando, Florida. I am a sophomore studying business here at Emory. I love being active, learning about technology, and watching sports. Fun fact: in 6th grade my school put on the musical “Into the Woods,” and I was Rapunzel’s prince and had a solo. PS: I can’t sing!