Dedication: My mom
My name is Zul Norin, and I am 20 years old. I’m currently a senior at Vanderbilt University and a proud QuestBridge scholar. My journey has been anything but ordinary. I was born and raised in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, a town where traditions are deeply rooted and where the role of women is often defined by longstanding cultural practices. In my community, girls typically halted their education after the fifth grade. Today, as a senior in college, I am one of the most educated women in my entire community.
Growing up in Lakki Marwat, I witnessed the traditional expectations placed on women and girls. It was a place where education was not prioritized for women, and where their lives were largely defined by domestic responsibilities. The norm for many women in my community involved not only these expectations but also enduring mental and physical abuse, which was accepted as a part of life. This harsh reality shaped my early understanding of what it meant to be a woman in my community.
My own family followed these traditions, with the women in my life primarily serving as homemakers. My mother, one of the strongest yet most vulnerable women I know, embodied this reality. She has always been a pillar of strength for our family, yet she never had the opportunity to stand up for herself. Despite her resilience, she was limited by the expectations placed on her, and like many women in our community, she faced the daily struggles of mental and physical abuse. These experiences were normalized to the extent that they became just another part of life.
Even when we moved to New York in 2014, the cultural dynamics we knew in Lakki Marwat continued to shape our lives in the U.S. My mother’s role remained unchanged, and I began to experience the same pressures that she faced. I was told to focus on domestic duties rather than my education. However, I believed that education was the key to a different life—one where I could make my own choices and define my own future. I often thought about what life would have been like if I had stayed in Pakistan. Would I have followed the same path as my mother and the other women in my life? It was this uncertainty, this desire for something more, that fueled my determination to pursue an education.
Determined to break free from these constraints, I poured all my energy into school, balancing household duties, jobs, and high school. My goal was clear: to attend a college that would be far from home and full of opportunities.
When I discovered QuestBridge, I spent months working on my application, navigating the process with little guidance and imperfect English. Eventually, I became a QuestBridge Scholar, but when I didn’t match to a college, I was devastated. It felt like my dreams were slipping away. But instead of giving up, I worked even harder and ultimately secured a full ride to Vanderbilt University.
Vanderbilt changed my life. I embraced every opportunity it offered, taking classes I never imagined I would, and even though my first semester GPA was a humbling 2.8, I learned to face challenges bigger than those I had known at home. I studied abroad, visiting over 15 countries on my own. I secured internships with Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. Next year, I’ll graduate college, entering the workforce with a six-figure salary. I now live independently in a space I call home—a space where I feel safe and free.
For the past four years, I’ve been financially independent, sitting across the table from some of the most successful and wealthiest people on the planet. Despite my humble beginnings, I’ve never felt inferior because the journey I’ve taken is one that few from my background could have imagined. I am one of the most successful Pathan women who have come from a modest background, and I am just getting started.
But my journey is not just about personal success; it’s about creating opportunities for others who face the same barriers I did. My mother’s story is a significant part of this motivation. She is an incredible woman who, despite her strength, was never given the chance to pursue her own dreams. Watching her and other women in my community endure the hardships of mental and physical abuse without the opportunity to escape shaped my understanding of the importance of education and independence.
That’s why I founded Clab AI—a company dedicated to helping students, both domestically and internationally, with their college applications to U.S. schools.
Clab AI was born out of my own struggles with the college application process. I had to navigate it all on my own, with no guidance, no mentors, and a limited understanding of the system. I know firsthand how daunting and overwhelming it can be, especially for students who come from backgrounds where higher education isn’t the norm. Clab AI’s mission is to level the playing field, offering personalized support and resources to students who might otherwise be left behind.
Education has the power to change lives—mine is living proof of that. But more than just changing individual lives, education has the potential to transform entire generations. By making higher education accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, Clab AI aims to break the cycles of limited opportunity that affect so many young people around the world.
I believe that everyone deserves the chance to pursue their dreams and that education is the most powerful tool to make those dreams a reality. Through Clab AI, I’m committed to helping students unlock their full potential and build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
My story is one of resilience and determination, but it’s also a story about the importance of giving back. I want to use my experiences to empower others, and Clab AI is my way of doing that. Together, we can create a world where education is a right, not a privilege, and where every student has the opportunity to succeed.
~ Photo credit: Images provided by the storyteller.
