“Besides their parents, almost every kid has a first hero. For me, it was Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, who wore the number 23. My family moved to Chicago from Pakistan when I was very young, and for my parents, the transition was a huge culture shock. The first aspect of American culture my dad adopted was an affinity for basketball when Michael Jordan was at the peak of his career. He bought 2 of Jordan’s jerseys and passed one down to me when I got older. To me, that jersey means more than just basketball. It represents my first dream to be like Mike, my childhood of throwing rocks into Lake Michigan to make ripples, and most importantly all the hardships my parents faced and overcame in order to give me opportunities they never had. Whenever I played basketball as a child, I imagined that I was like Mike. I believed I could make my dreams come true, just like he had. Chicago is my American hometown, and holds a very dear place in my heart.” – Abdullah Sufi
Bio: I was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and my family moved to Chicago when I was very young. I’m a 3rd year student majoring in Chemistry, hoping to pursue medicine Inshallah. Islam is everything to me, and my friends and family are my backbone. I’m a comic book (especially Batman) and NBA (mostly the Chicago Bulls) enthusiast. I like to play basketball and write poetry. I hope to get my poetry published one day!
#CountOnMe 