Stop Stuff Q&A With Rania Elalej

Rania Elalej is one of the beautiful souls I’ve had the pleasure of meeting through Stop Stuff. Rania is kind, compassionate and earnest in her desire and action to make the world a better place.

She’s a brilliant student at DePaul University in Chicago. She’s an activist and advocate, constantly providing her time and resources to the children of Chicago.

She also happens to be an immigrant from Morocco, one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited.

Rania is a Muslim and we both participated in Ramadan this year.

I recently sat down with Rania to get her views on life, the world and Stopping Stuff.

How would you describe yourself to the world?

I would describe myself to the world as someone who is ambitious and loving as well as someone who cares deeply about what goes on around the world.

I am compassionate and open-minded when it comes to interacting with others. I am someone who values relationships, honesty and geniality. Therefore, I pride myself on staying true to my beliefs and morals.

I truly believe that it’s important to take care of yourself in order to reach your full potential as well as to be able to help others.

What are you most passionate about and why?

I am passionate about a lot of different areas in life.

I am passionate about traveling because I believe it’s one of the best learning experiences.

As a citizen of the world, I think it’s important to be able to understand it and the people that live in it. So, there is no better way to do this than to immerse yourself in cultures and environments that are different from yours to appreciate the uniqueness in our differences.

I am also passionate about education because of my experience with at-risk youth in Chicago. They are incredibly deprived of a quality education due to the poorly funded schools they are in.

These students experience social factors that affect their ability to concentrate or find opportunity in their communities.

So, I am passionate about making sure that these students receive the same opportunities as other kids and have the resources they need to prosper in whatever they want to do in life.

I think that education is incredibly important in the development of a child and everyone has the right to learn, grow and have appropriate guidance in their lives.

The disparities that exist in the quality of education across the country is something that should be changed.

What have you personally overcome and what advice would you give to others experiencing the same thing?

Personally, I have overcome obstacles relating to the struggles of growing up as an immigrant in America, one of which is consistently advocating for and having obligations for my family.

Since my parents are not fluent English speakers, growing up, I was constantly helping them speak to officials, fill out applications, explain important circumstances over the phone... and so on. And I still do, today.

I had huge responsibilities at such a young age. Sometimes, it is incredibly frustrating that people speak to my parents in such a demeaning manner simply because they do not have a grasp of the English language.

To those who are experiencing the same circumstance, I would give the advice of staying patient and keeping your composure in situations where you might not have the upper hand.

As an immigrant, there are so many disadvantages that we come across, whether its because of language barriers, lack of opportunity, lack of support, or cultural barriers, and there are people who are inconsiderate to and unaware of these issues.

However, I take pride in being an immigrant and I would tell others to use it as motivation to achieve their dreams and reach their goals.

What do you think we need to stop and why?

I think we need to stop A LOT of things.

We need to stop gun violence, human trafficking, poverty, hunger, ignorance, racism, sexism, police brutality, and inequality, amongst many other things. The list is endless.

I think these are all issues that have only contributed negatively to society. They have taken lives, created struggle, hardship and pain.

Some of the other things I am passionate about and believe need to be stopped are health and educational disparities.

The fact that not everyone has access to basic necessities is something that is very appalling to me. So, I think that it should be stopped immediately.

What can we do to make the world a better place?

Loving each other is something we can do that will make the world a better place.

Having compassion, empathy, and respect for one another would also help make the world a better place.

Creating a world that has understanding for differences and backgrounds would help make others more tolerant and aware.

Creating equality and equity are also important in making the world a better place.

What words of encouragement would you give to others?

Some words of encouragement that I would give others would be to never forget where you come from, embrace your background and your heritage. Use it as encouragement to strive for excellence.

Help others in any way you can.

Find something that you enjoy doing and work hard at it.

Give yourself time alone to write down your goals in great detail.

Do you believe we can change the world?

I do believe we can change the world!

With the right leaders in place there can be a lot of progress.

As long as young activists remain persistent and determined to make change in the status quo, I believe that we can create positive change.

It’s important that people effectively cooperate against hate and negativity so that we are able to fight it with love and positivity.

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If you have a message to share and are interested in being included in STOP STUFF STORIES, please email me at info@stopstuff.com.

Seanne

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