Ibtihaj Muhammad was born and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey with her four sibilings to American parents who had previously converted to Islam. She began fencing at an early age, following a sport that would allow her to wear her hijab without any problems. She joined the Pater Westbrook Foundation, an organization that uses fencing as a vehicle for young people from underprivileged backgrounds to develop life skills. After finishing high school in 2003, she went on to study at Duke University, where she completed her studies in African American studies and international relations. After finishing her studies at Duke, she went on to join the US National Fencing Team in 2010 and followed them to the Summer 2016 Olympics in Rio Grande, Brazil, where she won a Bronze medal in the Women’s Individual Sabre. Despite her lose, she gained considered fame after the Olympics as she was the first athlete to compete for the United States while wearing hijab and the first Muslim-Woman to win a medal for the United States at the Olympics. She currently ranks 3rd in the US and 23rd in the world and is the 2005 Junior Olympic Champion and a 3 time Al American. She has become a symbol of diversity for sports in the United States, although she still remains critical of the intolerant environment in the United States, describing life in the US as unsafe for Muslims. In addition to her athletic career, she has sought to make spaces more accessible for Muslim women, creating a fashion line, Louella with her sisters that aims to bring modest fashion to the United States.