Oakland’s Ahmed Muhammad is residence for the summer season, after reaching a 4.05 GPA his first 12 months at Stanford

OAKLAND, Calif. – After reaching an astounding 4.05 grade-point common his first 12 months at Stanford College, Oakland’s Ahmed Muhammad has returned residence for the summer season to handle City enterprise whereas giving a lot credit score to his highschool expertise for his success to this point, at some of the prestigious universities on the planet. 

The Oakland Technical Excessive College graduate and that college’s first Black male class valedictorian stated the teachings he discovered at his alma mater helped present him with the instruments he wanted on this subsequent step of his tutorial journey. 

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“My lessons at Stanford when it comes to how I approached them weren’t an excessive amount of totally different from what my academics required of me in highschool,” the 19-year-old instructed KTVU. 

He stated that there have been some changes he needed to make as a school scholar: Class sizes had been considerably bigger than what he was used to, with lecture halls stuffed with lots of of scholars. And as most new college students to school shortly realized, Muhammad astutely identified that there have been “a number of methods to have the ability to have enjoyable that aren’t essentially productive.”

However he was additionally fast to notice that the examine habits and self-discipline he developed at Tech guided him, and the teachings from his academics helped him maneuver via all of it. 

“I didn’t perceive why they had been anticipating a lot in highschool, why they had been robust on me, however now, come to school, I’m straight making use of what they taught me,” Muhammad defined. 

He stated that the instruments that got here in useful at Stanford ranged from utilizing his highschool classes in calculus and Superior Placement physics, to understanding methods to search out further assist from his instructors, attending workplace hours, and simply “having the self-discipline to take a seat down and truly examine and grind out the fabric.”  

He additionally carried with him a key strategy to excelling in class. “My academics would additionally stress to me that it’s not in regards to the grade, however to decide to the category,” Muhammad defined. “Not taking pictures for grades however taking pictures to know the fabric, and the grade follows.” That strategy has confirmed to be fairly profitable for the teenager. The grades have adopted. He additionally famous, whereas it was exhausting work, his research have been enjoyable. 

As he ready to maneuver into his second 12 months, he’s been capable of slim down what he’ll main in– laptop science or presumably, electrical engineering with a minor in mechanical engineering design.

He’s additionally trying into summer season internships in these fields. 

Muhammad, who has made headlines not just for his success within the classroom however for the work he’s executed via his science training non-profit, stated that after a busy first 12 months as an undergrad, he’s able to get again to work in his group to proceed his mission to make science studying extra accessible to the children in his residence metropolis.

This summer season, he has nice designs on methods to develop his non-profit, Kits Cubed. He based the group out of his storage throughout the begin of the pandemic in 2020, with the aim of making hands-on science experiences for kids, via kits which might be inexpensive and accessible, utilizing every single day, primary gadgets.

He’s working to make a number of the Kits Cubed actions he launched final 12 months, an annual custom. That included an enormous end-of-summer science honest throughout the Labor Day weekend, which drew lots of of Oakland youngsters throughout its inaugural occasion final 12 months.

Plans had been additionally within the works to supply one other summer season of free science camps on the West Oakland Youth Heart. As a part of that effort, Kits Cubed was once more partnering with Oakland-based the Fam 1st Household Basis, a group group led by former Oakland Tech soccer stars and NFL gamers Marshawn Lynch and Joshua Johnson. 

And one thing demonstrated by the entrepreneurial-minded scholar time and time once more, Muhammad was searching for new methods to make use of his firm to develop his attain in serving to to instill a love of science amongst younger folks. In order a part of his work as Nationwide Geographic Younger Explorer, which he was named final 12 months together with two dozen different younger trailblazers around the globe, he’s additionally making a pilot program that might get Kits Cubed science kits in additional younger fingers.

Beneath that program, his non-profit was creating new kits to align with the Full Possibility Science System (FOSS) curriculum, utilized in public colleges throughout the nation.

The FOSS kits will then be distributed to Oakland school rooms, built-in with the Oakland Unified College District’s science curriculum. Finally, the FOSS kits could possibly be utilized in districts across the nation. “So youngsters can really take residence the fabric and develop on the fabric that their academics taught them,” Muhammad defined, including, “It’s based mostly on the identical philosophy for youths to discover the issues they know and are accustomed to to point out science is throughout them.” 

The Kits Cubed founder stated that it was a busy first 12 months at Stanford and that’s meant he hasn’t been as concerned in his firm as he’s been up to now. 

“Faculty was quite a bit,” Muhammad acknowledged, “I fully underestimated how a lot work school can be.” To maintain Kits Cubed working and increasing, he stated it was more and more obvious that he wanted handy off a number of the work. 

And as he’s executed all alongside, he’s relying on the younger folks in his group to maintain this endeavor going. This summer season, he’s rising his firm by including new paid positions, all with the plan to rent and encourage teenagers and younger adults to get entangled. 

These ages 16 to 24 had been inspired to use for job openings in areas together with equipment improvement, group outreach, advertising and marketing and graphic design. He’s additionally inviting younger volunteers to intern this summer season. 

“It’s all youth-led to empower our group,” Muhammad stated.

And spoken like a dad or mum, who desires his youngster to mature and attain new heights, Muhammad acknowledged that whereas he needed to be absolutely and actively concerned on this group he created, he knew he’d need to let go in some areas. “Kits Cubed is way bigger than myself,” the non-profit’s founder stated. “At the same time as I am rising in school, I need Kits Cubed to develop.”

KTVU has been following Muhammad’s accomplishments and endeavors since our first story on him again in 2020, not lengthy after he launched Kits Cubed. 

Again then, he was solely 17, about to begin his junior 12 months at Oakland Tech, and he shared with KTVU about how he was motivated by the will to present again, whereas acknowledging those that have impressed, supported and helped him alongside the best way on his journey. 

“All I’m I owe,” the then highschool scholar instructed us. It’s a conviction he’s held true to, as he marked his profitable first 12 months at Stanford, acknowledging his highschool academics who helped form him as a scholar.  

On this newest interview with Muhammad, he was fast to call these highschool academics who contributed to his progress: Ms. Fong, Ms. Joe, Mr. Demarinis, and Mr. Stubblefield, he listed. He additionally gave credit score to highschool directors Mr. Worth and Mr. Bachicha and stated, “They had been a few of my greatest supporters/motivators all all through highschool.” 

And when requested whether or not he felt stress to proceed to satisfy expectations and carry out at such a excessive degree each out and in of the classroom, he stated, under no circumstances. Relatively, “It’s motivation and love from individuals who assist me and who want the perfect on me. If I fall or slip, somebody will probably be there and decide me up and encourage me to go ahead.” 

And that going “ahead” has additionally been about paying it ahead for this younger Oakland man who continued to put money into his group and its youth, by no means failing to look again on the place he got here from, as he regarded forward to his future.