Impact Your Community
​Who We Are
We're just like you. We're a group of teenagers who are trying to figure out who we are. We want to make good decisions and spread positivity.
One of the things that PANDAA stands for is community. We want people to feel connected with each other through whether it be our age, the sports we play, music we listen to, or even our favorite color. Everything is connected, and we want to emphasize that.
Another thing PANDAA believes in is to not force values into people. We don't want to preach to our audiences and simply say, "Drugs are bad." We want to expain it to them in a conversation-like way and talk about our own experiences. It's a good and relaxed vibe, rather than a "some random fifty-year-old woman is talking to me about drugs and alcohol; someone help me" vibe. There's always a good vibe if the audience is willing to give all their attention to us and be open-minded, because that's how even the greatest discoveries are made.
LEADING YOUTH TO LIFELONG VALUES
PANDAA has the beautiful opportunity of implanting life-long values into the youth through an effective and captivating way. We bring a sense of community and a "connection" that we've been blessed to have. Impacting the youth is the first step to impacting the whole.
We believe that to make a difference in the world, you must be the difference you want to see. Life is beautiful, and we must enjoy every moment of it drug-free and sober.
Video coming soon!
​How It All Started
My name is Fatima Rashid, and I’m eighteen years old. I would describe myself as a normal teenager: I enjoy playing sports, singing, playing with my pets, baking, and annoying my little brother. What makes me a little different and what brings me to your screen today is my passion for substance abuse prevention and awareness. Sure, it may be hard to believe that a sophomore in high school enjoys staying away from what lures most high schoolers in, but give me a moment to explain PANDAA’s story before you raise any obligations…
It was late at night in 2012 when seventh grade Fatima decided to finish up a writing assignment she’d been procrastinating. The writing assignment was supposed to be about an event that deeply impacted my life. I decided to write about the time my dad and I were hit by a drunk driver mid-day in New Mexico while we were driving from Indiana to California. As I wrote this essay, I reflected upon the moments that passed by before the police arrived; I reminisced with smell of the alcohol that greeted me from the drunk driver’s mouth, the way he couldn’t speak a single word because he was being choked by the substance, and the way he dared telling my dad that he was sorry without even looking him in his sober eyes. I was scared and nervous. I did not understand how a substance could perpetuate someone to act so unlike themselves and out of control. I felt bad for that driver and his friends, and I knew that I did not want anyone else to go through this.
As I was writing this essay, I kept receiving various pop-up links that were promoting the stats of substance abuse in California. Once I finished writing the essay, I decided to click on one of the links. I was shocked. I made the connections in my head and found out that the chances of another six-year-old girl and her father getting hit by a drunk driver were increasing each and every day. I would not be shocked if this event occurs multiple times a day, and it deeply saddens me. I quickly closed the link and tried my best to stop thinking about the harsh reality it contained for a long time.
Ironically, a couple of months later, my dad, a physician, was studying to become an addiction specialist. I knew that the material he was studying was worthwhile, but I was getting sad and angry that he was never spending time with his family. I sat down one day and tried to come up with a way to spend more time with my dad doing something that he could incorporate into his work; a few hours later, I had a concept in my concept. I knew I wanted to raise awareness about substance abuse somehow. Then I realized, why not have a group of kids my age spread real data and their stories to their peers and really connect with them?
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I presented the idea to my dad, and he, like always, was supportive of it. We sat in his office and spoke for an hour, brainstorming ideas and figuring out what exactly I wanted to do with this project. By the end of the conversation, we came with the name PANDAA, standing for “People Against Nicotine Drug and Alcohol Addiction."
PANDAA means the world to me. It’s opened up many doors in my life, and my goal is for PANDAA to do the same for others: to change lives by spreading awareness and prevention. PANDAA has taught me that if a person with good intentions wants to do something, nothing can stop them. I believe in helping others and taking in the kindness of strangers. I’m a leader who shows patience with those who can be considered quiet and acknowledges those who are already confident with their own voice. I want to share this passion with as many people as I can, including my own community.
I truly hope you enjoy this website and my simple idea. I wanted to make this website on my own to show people who do not know me personally that I have worked diligently for everything that I am able to call my own and this website is one of those things. I am proud of what PANDAA has accomplished so far, and I’m ready to embrace what its future has in store. As always, remember to get high on success, not drugs.
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Founder and CEO
Fatima Rashid
