An Oakland teen is making his school’s history as the first black male student to earn the title of valedictorian.
Oakland Technical High school, a public school in Oakland, California, has had 106 graduating classes pass through its doors since its opening in 1914. With each graduating class, students strive to earn the number one spot of valedictorian.
Considered as the highest academic honor, students undergo rigorous schedules full of Advanced Placement, honors, and even dual enrollment courses to become highly ranked amongst their classmates.
Ahmed Muhammad has earned a 4.73 GPA throughout his high school career.
If things go as planned for Ahmed, he may even break a 5.00 GPA as he finishes his final semester. To earn this highest honor of valedictorian, Ahmed has consistently challenged himself by taking 13 AP classes and several dual enrollment classes throughout his four-year program.
All the late nights studying weren’t in vain because he was accepted to all 11 universities he applied to.
Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, and Princeton are but a few of them. He has chosen to enroll at Stanford University where he plans to major in one of the engineering disciplines. As a first-generation college student, Ahmed has truly made his family proud.
In his interview with Good Morning America, Ahmed states that his main career goal is to develop a product or concept that benefits not just communities, but the entire world. He hopes to be an active member of his community, always striving to give back and volunteer.
In addition to academics, Ahmed is an avid basketball player and played on his school’s varsity team.
When not studying or practicing, Ahmed spent free time tutoring with the Oakland Youth Advisory Commission.
Stellar grades, slam dunks, and volunteering! Ahmed must have been a perfectly well-rounded candidate for each college he applied to. It’s no wonder he received acceptances to all of them. Stanford sure is lucky to have him.
Ahmed explains that although he had a busy schedule and a lot to balance, it never felt like work.
By choosing activities that he loved, he was always able to stay encouraged to push through a busy day. He never felt burned out because he was consistently fulfilling his life’s passions.
Now that he’s committed to a university for fall semester, Ahmed is focusing on his own nonprofit organization, Kits Cubed.
The goal of his nonprofit is to expose kids to science at a younger age. After realizing that he had never seen a science experiment in action before attending middle school, he decided to start his own organization, with the intent of fueling kids’ interest in STEM fields.
Ahmed began his organization by researching easy science experiments that families could do at home.
He gathered the necessary supplies and started packaging them into boxes that could be sold to neighboring families at a reasonable price range.
Kits Cubed has become a beloved community organization that has frequent donations and giveaways.
With no plans to stop, Ahmed hopes that his organization will continue to flourish even as he moves to Stanford this fall. There’s no stopping him! He’s on track to change the world!
We can’t wait to see all that he accomplishes throughout his time at Stanford!
Congratulations to Ahmed and the entire Class of 2021!
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