You’re probably thinking, What on earth is she wearing? Areeba introduces her hijab, what it is, why she wears it and what It means to her.

Because of her hijab, she was called a terrorist at the age of 10. She turned that accusation into a challenge - and found common ground with others. And her classmate changed from a bigot into a friend.

Areeba is a senior at Ursuline Academy who enjoys tennis, Model UN, and traveling the world. This past year, she visited Toronto, Istanbul, and Dubai. Ethnically Pakistani, she is fluent in Urdu, basic Arabic and Chinese, and likes to think she knows French. The proud daughter of Muslim immigrants who are Doctors, Areeba and her family are the epitome of the American dream. Her summer was spent at Georgetown University where she enrolled in the Honors International Relations course taught by the Dr.. John Davis, where for three weeks, she studied, debated, and met with the nation's top political and business members. Areeba plans on attending college in proximity to her home state of Delaware, majoring in International Relations, Political Science, and Arabic on a Pre-Law track. Her sense of humor, her kindness, her talent for cooking, and her optimism in the face of adversity are just a few characteristics of Areeba.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx