Arwa Rashad Iqbal

Majors: Law & Society, Political Science
Minors: French, Human Rights, Psychology

My name is Arwa Rashad Iqbal and I am double majoring in Law Society and Political Science with minors in French, Human Rights, and Psychology. I am also pursuing a certificate in Public Policy. My hometown is a little confusing as I was born outside of the United States, but in 2016, I moved to the town of West Lafayette, where I went to high school not too far from Purdue’s campus!

The reason I picked the majors I have is after acquiring my bachelor’s degree I hopefully want to attend law school and or, work for an international organization such as the United Nations. It has been a dream of mine ever since I was young to become a lawyer, and as I grew older I realized how much of a need there was for more representation in the judicial system, especially in the South Asian community and the pursuit of justice is something that has always fascinated me.

There are quite a few things I love about being a CLA student at Purdue University, some of these include the opportunities I have been given through the program. An example of this is during the Spring semester of 2020, I had the chance to go to Iowa to see the Iowa Caucus in action and this was quite an eye opening experience. I was able to see politicians I would have never imagined I would meet. This trip further helped me realize the major I had picked was the one I was destined to be in! Through being a CLA student at Purdue University I feel prepared to apply for internships, the resources offered at the college are quite beneficial from having experts look through my resume to having mock interviews to practice my skills for a real interview. I am beyond grateful for all these things.

As well as, being a CLA student at Purdue University is quite comforting, as a freshman it can be quite intimidating navigating through a new university and finding friends to connect with. I was very surprised when I found I had a great group of friends to connect with almost instantly  through the CLA program, the CLA program at Purdue University is very welcoming and everyone knows each other. Another thing I love about being a CLA student at Purdue University is the broad experience I get as a student. I have loved the enthusiasm my professors have shown, as well as being given the ability to challenge my thinking.

While being a student I am very involved with various activities on campus. I am a part of the political honor society called Pi Sigma Alpha. I am part of the Purdue Student Government (PSG) and serve as a student clerk. I am President of the Purdue Pakistani Student Association which is a cultural club on campus dedicated to showing students the various cultures of Pakistan. Through all these activities I have found the best of networking opportunities and connections.