Finding Balance With Parents' Expectations

As-salamu alaykum, Just needed to get this off my chest-if anyone's been through something similar or has any tips, I'd really appreciate hearing them. I'm a Palestinian sister in my mid-20s, alhamdulillah, finishing up my engineering degree next year. My parents have always been very protective-no staying out late, no traveling solo, things like that. I'm truly grateful for everything they've provided, but sometimes it feels like there's barely any room for me to breathe. Lately, I brought up the idea of marrying a brother who recently reverted to Islam and has shown he's interested. My father got really upset and said he'd never accept someone who isn't Arab. Honestly, that doesn't sit right with me-Islam doesn't say we have to marry within our culture, and who knows where Allah has written my naseeb? It doesn't help that my older brother married outside our culture too, and they just welcomed their first baby. When the family's together, my parents act joyful, but once they leave, I hear them complaining over small, unnecessary things. Their son is happy, they're grandparents now-why can't they just focus on that barakah? Sometimes I think I should finish my degree, become independent, and keep making sincere dua. But I worry that even then, they might still try to control my choices. I love my parents deeply, but it's tough feeling stuck between keeping them happy and finding my own path. Just a lot on my mind these days.