As the final chants and rings of applause throughout the award ceremony hall died out, the Bronx Science Brigade team realized they would never have a tournament all together again. For almost all the senior board members, this marked the end of their journey competing in MIST‒after putting their all into leading and growing together, they graduate this year with heavy hearts, leaving their cherished team behind. They said a heartfelt goodbye to their final competition, celebrating how far they had come.
The Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) is a two day competition that brings together the Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) of over fifteen different schools from all around the city. There are many categories that range from debate and quiz bowl to Quran recitation and spoken word. The goal of this competition is to blend academic excellence with creativity and faith in order to help Muslim youth grow and connect.
MIST New York 2025 took place at Hofstra University from April 5th to 6th, 2025, with the award ceremony on April 12th at Uncommon Schools Charter High School. There were around a dozen schools, some of the more notable being Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, and Bronx Science. Along with the competitors, there were organizers, volunteers, and judges, bringing the total number of people to over one thousand.
In the past, the Bronx Science MIST team‒Bronx Science Brigade‒has made it to the top three overall teams twice in the past three years, as well as going to MIST nationals every year with MSAs all over the country. This year, Brigade placed first in Sister’s Improv‒a specialty of the graduating board members and a crowd favorite of spectators. Additionally, many smaller groups within the team who competed in group or individual tournaments made it to the podium, like the social media team and the chess individuals placers.
MIST nationals consists of winners all over the country coming together over the summer to their harshest competition yet. It will take place at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from August 8th to 10th, 2025. Many students from Brigade will attend, mostly seniors, hoping to take home the gold one last time. They compete alongside their past opponents that make up the winners of MIST NY against many other states. Last year, New York placed second overall at nationals, and Brigade hopes they can do the same this year.
For many, MIST is about self-growth, meeting new people, and having more experiences. “During my time in MIST, I was able to build more discipline within myself,” said MSA president Reditha Yousafo ’25. “I held myself to extreme deadlines and also had to manage a team of 50 to 60 people, so while I was keeping myself busy and in check, I was also keeping everyone else in check and making sure they were working hard.” Better discipline is something that almost everyone sees in themselves after MIST. Additionally, people grow not just with themselves but with others. “I feel as though I’ve grown much closer with all of my peers, and have developed a place in the community with the fellow MIST members,” said Tawhid Khan ’26, MSA events coordinator. “Sharing memories, joy, and grief, we have all grown together.” Many see growth in their faith and want to be closer to their religion after MIST. “I also struggled with connecting with my faith last year and found it comforting to be surrounded by so many other students who either struggled like me or didn’t, it motivated me to do better,” said Morium Khan ’26, next year’s event coordinator. MIST encourages everyone to do better, especially in faith, and to inspire the people who are struggling in order to be a role model to those who need it. A big part of MIST is coming together in a sense of unity‒regardless of the competition, everyone leaves MIST with a new understanding of the world and people around them.
Many of the current board members of MSA are seniors, meaning they will no longer be able to compete in MIST. At the award ceremony, the organizers gave a special speech and standing ovation to the seniors. They reminded these seniors that while their time as a competitor may be over, their contributions to MIST are not, as they could become an organizer or volunteer in the years to come. It was an incredibly emotional moment as over a thousand people chanted the word “seniors” in unison, and the seniors themselves looked around with teary eyes, hugging one another in their last moments of MIST. While the MSA team may never be the same without them, they leave a legacy and strong foundation to build off of for the future board.
A special aspect of MIST is that competitors can continue to support it after they graduate. Many who hold a deep love for MIST in their heart go on to become volunteers, organizers, or even judges. “In the future, I hope to volunteer in competitions such as Science Fair and Quiz Bowl, as I’ve been competing in these competitions myself,” said Sabia Ahmed ’26, next year’s dedicated MSA vice president. “I would love to see what the future holds for future competitors and MIST competitions.” Furthermore, some even have the opportunity of becoming the coach of a school, whose task is to chaperone and keep the team in order. Coaches are highly respected in MIST simply because of the fact that they manage to keep control of a giant group of high school students, but are also great mentors and tutors for many competitions. This year, Brigade’s male coach was Daiyan Tajwar, who many regard as one of the best coaches they have had in all of their years at MIST. “There were moments–such as staying after hours of the tournament and getting to know each student or helping someone perfect their business venture piece or just sitting in the cafeteria late at night talking about life–where I realized how much l’d matured. MIST didn’t just give the students a place to grow—it gave me one too,” said the coach. “Seeing everyone, especially the seniors, come together to celebrate each other was the perfect ending to a magical weekend.”
A big part of MIST is an event called Chant Wars. Every team has their own designated chants that they are known for, and constantly use it to celebrate or boost their team for spirit points. At one point, a break is taken between the competitions for all the teams to come together with their matching outfits, merch, mascots, and all their energy to yell out their stresses, frustrations or excitements. It’s a great opportunity to bond with fellow competitors and learn the chants of other teams.
Most would consider the award ceremony to be their favorite part of MIST. It consists of chanting, cheering at the top of one’s lungs, and tears of both happiness and joy. The excitement when a team wins is contagious, and everyone can’t help but cheer for one another, using the words they had learned during Chant Wars. “That’s what MIST teaches you–even if it is a competition, you still should recognize the blessing to have those around you and be happy for every moment you are with them,” said Morium Khan ’26. The level of sportsmanship that takes place is admirable knowing how hard each and every person worked to possibly go home with a medal. Despite this, everyone leaves the award ceremony with a full heart and an enormous smile on their face.
For others, the post-MIST outing is their favorite. All of the members leave the award ceremony with medals and smiles and head out to a restaurant. The subways fill with girls in matching dresses and boys in matching suits and ties, looking more unified than ever before. The girls lift their dresses to avoid getting caught in the rain puddles, and the boys hold up umbrellas for everyone to share. This year, the team ate at a restaurant in Manhattan and had an hour-long photoshoot after, everyone huddling up to avoid the chilly night air.
I myself competed in MIST ’24 and ’25, and both brought me closer to other people and my faith. Placing on the podium for a competition and running on stage, hand in hand with a fellow winner, in front of a thousand people and nearly blinding lights will forever be one of my favorite memories. I plan to participate in MIST every year for the rest of my time in high school, as it brought me sincere joy having all of these new experiences.
“Seeing everyone — especially the seniors — come together to celebrate each other was the perfect ending to a magical weekend,” said Daiyan Tajwar, Brigade Coach.