On March 26 and 27, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) participated in the D.C. Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST), an event filled with competition and workshops to build students’ leadership, communication, and creative skills to “develop a strong identity.”

According to MIST’s official website, the event has the goal of developing the confidence and professionalism of participants through public speaking and presentations, teach students strategies to deal with stereotypes and prejudices against Muslims, allow students to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and meet and network with diverse peers.

MIST consists of five competition categories: Knowledge and Quran, Arts, Writing and Oratory, Brackets, and Group Projects, each with multiple competitions related to the category.

To prepare for MIST, members of MSA gathered once or twice a week in the library to work on their individual as well as group projects.

Junior Javaria Sohail competed in and placed first in fashion design with her original clothing line inspired by the theme of this year’s competition: “the conviction in courage: finding the balance between fear and risk.” 

“There were six drawings overall,” Sohail said. “I stayed up two nights to complete it and it ended up being successful,” Sohail said.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Courtesy of Javaria Sohail

Inspired by the theme, “The Conviction in Courage: Finding the Balance Between Fear and Risk,” junior Javaria Sohail created her own clothing line which won her first place in fashion design.