Salam, my name is Sobia. I am very excited to work with the Beyond Chai team inshallah. I was born and raised in Arizona and moved to North Carolina in February 2019.  I have loved the transition so far alhamdulillah. I work as a registered nurse in the hospital and am planning on going back to school next year inshallah to become a nurse practitioner. My goal with my career right now is to learn as much as I can and take on as many experiences as I can before going back to school. I am very family-oriented, and in my free time I try to spend quality time with my family. My parents got divorced when I was in middle school. My dad lives in Arizona, and my mom lives with me. I am close to both of them alhamdulillah. I used to visit my dad every 2-3 months before the pandemic hit. I have three older siblings. My oldest brother and his family also live in the same city as me, and I usually hang out with them at least once a week. My sister lives in Canada with her husband and their newborn baby. My other brother lives in Arizona, and he recently got married. 

I like to listen to podcasts, read books, cook and bake, do yoga, and go on walks or hikes. I have recently been trying to exercise more and eat healthy (it's a lifelong struggle). In terms of podcasts and books, I have been really into stuff about personal development, mental health, and advice on relationships. I don't watch a ton of tv, but I do like to watch cooking shows and a few shows on Netflix.

In terms of religion, I do consider myself practicing. I try to stay on top of my fard prayers and obligations and try to read Quran on a daily basis.  I watch Islamic lectures and take Islamic classes. I do believe that religion is not purely ritualistic, and that iman is manifested in fulfilling our obligations towards Allah and towards the people around us, like having good character and treating the people around us well. 

I recently adopted a cat and have been having so much fun being a cat mom!