The moment you meet Cardozo senior Malak Abaroui, you encounter a student whose energy is calm and disciplined. She may seem like your average high school student, but in reality, Abaroui is so much more. In fact, she made Cardozo history by becoming the first student to publish a novel while still attending high school.
However, Abaroui’s story doesn’t end there; behind her modesty lies a journey of curiosity, resilience, and self-discovery. These traits have shaped her high school experience and even inspired those around her.
At the start of her sophomore year, Abaroui transferred to Cardozo, not sure of what to expect from a new school and a new environment. “I’ll be honest and say that this wasn’t my first choice when I was applying to high schools,” she admitted. “But despite the negative reputation our school upholds, there are aspects that are frequently overlooked, from the caring friends I made to the endless club opportunities.”
Eventually, Abaroui became comfortable in the new environment and found different ways to be active throughout the school, networking with the new students she encountered. She did this by being a part of a variety of programs such as ARISTA, Gateway, Creative Writing, the Muslim Student Association (MSA), the Arab Student Association (ASA), and Women in STEM. She emphasized the importance of being able to be a part of clubs and different programs to get out of your comfort zone and to meet new people. These programs not only challenged her when it came to academic rigor, but also helped her meet new people and be a part of the Cardozo Community.
Abaroui has a tight class schedule with the AP classes and dual enrollment classes, while focusing on the college application process. There have been obstacles she has faced when it came to these academic standards, but she is persevering through these obstacles with a sense of optimism and determination.
She approaches every challenge as a way to learn from it rather than let it bring her down. This showcases the vigorous trait she has to help her endure any challenge and to surpass it. “Something that Cardozo has taught me is that you can really make the best of any given situation,” she said.
Abaroui is a first-generation Arab American, and she finds this sense of motivation in her younger self. “The younger me had aspirations that she had initially thought of as unfeasible,” she shared. “But I continue to surprise her every single day, and I want to get to a point in my life where I can look back, smile, and say even though I had to take a different path, I still got to where I wanted to in the end.”
Aside from all the demanding classes and programs she takes, Abaroui has a deep-rooted passion for writing. It doesn’t matter if the type of writing is poetry, journaling; she finds a sense of joy when she writes, and she does this through effective ways to appeal to a person and to connect her experiences with her story. She emphasized that writing gives you the ability to share your true thoughts and to express yourself in an impactful way to better help understand your character and development as a person. This passion and love for writing led her to write her debut book, “Salaam Means Peace.”
Furthermore, her idea was sparked by the novel “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton. She wrote this book during the COVID lockdown; Abaroui was simply journaling her thoughts on a half-page of a document, but this led to a full-length novel that represents Muslim American voices and talks to all readers of all different backgrounds.
Her book was meant to resemble her experiences and her thoughts, and she took that into account by including every diverse background rather than being subjective. “There were very few books that I felt were written for me,” Abaroui explained. “I want the incoming generation of Muslims to have access to an emotionally transformative novel that speaks to them and clears any misconceptions about our faith and culture.”
Abaroui faced lots of obstacles with the book, but her sense of determination never declined, which led her to the most impactful email she has ever read. On March 11, 2025, during her literature class, she received an email that stated that her book was officially published on Amazon. This showcased her sense of resilience and determination to get past any obstacle, and this opened a gateway or pathway for an aspiring writing journey. “Opening it and seeing my name on the cover reminded me that my writing journey had only begun,” she said with a smile.
Her book, “Salaam Means Peace” is sold worldwide across platforms such as Booktopia, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart, and Abaroui has been able to attend symposiums and other conferences to reflect on her story as a young author and how she came to be.
When she was asked what piece of advice she would give to other students, Abaroui provided an impactful and sincere response: “Don’t get too caught up in trying to make your high school experience count for something.”
“No two journeys are the same,” she said. “As long as you spend these four years doing what you’re passionate about, working hard, and having fun, you’re going to be okay.”
