Assorted crafts and framed digital art made by Laiba

Where I used to live in the Middle East, you can’t really go outside much there because it is hot all the time. So all you have to do is go to malls, and I don't particularly like malls.

I just stayed home, and I made things. I made things out of paper. I made decorations for my room and little gifts for my friends and my siblings, loom bands and bracelets. Then I learned how to sew beads onto my clothes. Later, I started to make fabric toys.

I rarely buy new materials because I think there’re already so many things people are buying and tossing out shortly after. I’ve turned paper bags into notebooks. I've used flowers to dye fabric before they wilted and I’ve turned broken chains and zippers into jewelry. I try to reduce waste in everything I can.

I think this is because when I was growing up, my parents were always worried about wasting resources - so they taught me to minimise waste as much as possible.

Upcycled crafts made by Laiba

I've been doing different forms of volunteering since I came here. I did trash picking on the streets in my 1st year, because I really wanted to help the community in Birmingham. There's lots of nice green areas around, but there are always cans on the ground and crisp packets littered about.

In my 3rd year I helped out with the little community garden on campus. We put seeds into the plant beds, cut the branches down, a lot of maintenance work. I help here and there with STAR (Student Action for Refugees) as well.

I think being a part of Birmingham means being able to contribute to society and make a dent in the various issues affecting our communities. I want to address issues hands-on. That’s why I chose volunteering.

Laiba’s presentation for minorities in physics

When I became part of a physics department, I started to notice its environment. It is a male-dominated field, where women and minorities are often underestimated and made to feel like they don’t belong. I think we need to make a more inclusive environment, starting at a very young age.

I am a member of an EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) committee. In the meetings, we talk about what racial minorities in the physics sector might want, but there is often no representative of those minorities in the discussion groups. I think that’s wrong, because the only way to understand the issue is to talk to people who struggle with the issue you are tackling.

I did my own research on gender and race-based underrepresentation in science. And I really identified with the things the research papers were saying, which was that the environment of physics is structured so that minority groups aren't welcomed.

I want to change that because I am Astro-fierce-ic.

Deconstructed blanket fort, where Laiba would spend time with thier siblings

Out of anyone I know in my family, I am most connected to my siblings.

One of them is a year and a half younger than me and they’ve finished the first year of Uni. The other is six years younger than me.

Because I am the oldest, they rely on me for many things. They always text me and sometimes randomly call me so I try my best to keep up with their lives across the distance.

We used to celebrate all our birthdays together, but now I celebrate mine apart because it is during the school year. I’m not very connected with my parents, but that’s just a difference of interest.

I’m not telling them about everything I do!

Sci-fi books and constellation map

I'm still thinking about what exactly I want to do after I graduate. The entire reason that I'm really into physics is that I want to do my own research and contribute to what we know about the universe.

But since embarking on my studies, I've also found that I quite like teaching - maybe because I've always been teaching maths and physics to my younger siblings. On my course I had a module that had a placement at the Hillcrest Girls' School in Birmingham. Through it, I understood that I could make it a bit easier for people to understand and come into physics by adjusting the way we teach it. I want to make the information more accessible and less scary to people, especially minority groups.

If you don't want to pursue science, that's fine. But I believe that you should still have the opportunity to access it as an option.

Palestinian flag and signs from protests

I organise protests for various things that I really care about. Like: Palestine, Congo and Sudan or other places where genocide is going on.

I care about the issue I’m representing most of all - but in part I also love helping with the logistics, making the banners and signs, gathering resources like megaphones and speakers, and having chants prepared. You don’t want to be chanting the same thing for two hours!

I have wanted to be involved in protesting since I was a teenager because I see it as an opportunity to do something to help, not just watchng it on TV and saying “oh that’s bad”. Back in my teen years I felt helpless to do anything, but here in Birmingham I have a lot more independence.

I can act on things, from big demonstrations to political discussions with friends and maybe someone will hear me. I feel like I have power here.

Laiba’s hi-vis jacket, door supervisor kit and energy drink

I’ve been working as a door supervisor at the Guild of Students for almost two years now. At first, I thought that I wasn't going to land it because it wasn't something that I had any skills in. But then I went for the interview and I got hired on the day.

Initially, I was quite shy and scared about everything. But, I've grown more comfortable in the role since then, especially because I've gotten extensive training and a proper certification. So, I feel like I belong there a lot more now.

I really like when there are people who come to the Guild’s events every single week, and they remember me, and I can have a chat with them about our lives.

Sometimes though a random stranger comes up to me, and introduces me to the people they’re with as if I’m their best friend.

It’s kind of hilarious when I don’t know the person at all.

Photographs from two wedding celebrations

Initially, moving to the UK was just a bit intimidating.

I had never gone to an airport without my family before and had never gone to a completely different country by myself. I was feeling homesick through most of the first year, even up until the second year.

It was just strange to be surrounded by a culture that I've only heard about or seen on TV. It was funny to hear all the slang like “innit” and “mental” that I’ve seen jokes about online. You soon realise that people will treat you strangely because your ideas are different to what they’re used to.

Sometimes people in the UK struggle to understand how upset you are about various things from the past. There are some people I met who act as if racism has been solved, or people who don’t know the Empire’s history well. That is deeply frustrating for me.

Toy solar system display kit

I used to be really into space and science when I was a kid.

At about age 16, I got a really good teacher at school called Mrs Zahra who inspired me to do science professionally. I wanted to be involved in it and make new contributions to what we know about the universe.

Now, I’m doing an integrated Master’s degree in physics and astrophysics here at the University of Birmingham, 7000km from where I was born.

I like the astrophysics part of my course more. I’m fascinated by exoplanets and solar system stuff over black holes and cosmology, which are much more theoretical.

I prefer to study how star systems and planets are formed and what it means for the evolution of our universe. I want to contribute in expanding our knowledge of it in the future because i like to know how the universe came about and how life developed on earth, and i like the idea of modelling different planets

A jar of beads

I think I always knew since a really young age that I was queer, but I just didn't know how to define it. Maybe I was in denial about it for quite a while.

I think my relationship with Pakistan is quite complicated. I was born there, but my family moved to the Middle East when I was three.

It isn’t really safe to be a queer person there, so it’s not a great situation for me whenever I return. When I’m there I am always thinking about my ‘queerness’ and how that separates me from the people around me. When you concentrate on concealing your identity, it becomes the most important part of your life, belittling your other interests.

When I’m in Birmingham, because here there are so many others who are unapologetically visible, I feel like I can be myself. In Birmingham, being queer doesn’t feel like the most important thing about me.