Oakland Technical High School was founded back in 1914. For the first time in the school’s 107-year-history, a young Black man has been named valedictorian.

According to San Francisco Chronicle, 18-year-old high school senior Ahmed Muhammad will officially be named the top student of his class next month. Following that, he’ll be preparing to start his college career with 11 different acceptances to choose from, including Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Princeton and Columbia.

“It feels amazing. I’m grateful to be accepted to any single college, but 11 of them? I had never imagined this,” Muhammad told KTVU.

He also told San Francisco Chronicle, “It’s an awesome feeling to know that all the hard work I put in and all the support and love I received paid off. It’s pretty cool I was named valedictorian.”

While maintaining a 4.73 grade point average overall and a 5.0 so far during his senior year, Muhammad has juggled rigorous college courses, played on the varsity basketball team and even started his own science education company, Kits Cubed, amid the pandemic bringing kids science experiments.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ahmed Muhammad

According to San Francisco Chronicle, nearly 3,000 of Muhammad’s kits have been distributed to Oakland Unified School District elementary and middle schools. Though the company currently operates under the Seneca Family of Agencies — a Fairfield non-profit — Muhammad is working to attain its own non-profit status.

The work Muhammad does outside the classroom has made a huge impact on his life and adds to his long list of notable achievements. His interest in math and science is what he plans to lean on going into college, and is even contemplating declaring himself as an engineering major.

“There’s so much to learn before picking a single path,” Muhammad told KTVU. “My work at Kits Cubed has also taught me the value of interdisciplinary studies, so I plan on studying concepts such as Public Policy and Urban Studies outside of my intended engineering focus.”

Muhammad’s goals for the future include expanding his future non-profit, working on his company presentations, partnerships and community outreach. He hopes to grow the organization to the point where it’s able to impact hundreds of thousands of students.

While he continues to shoot for the stars, he wants other young people to hear his story and be inspired to follow their dreams and beat the odds as well.

“My advice is to never stop dreaming, and while in pursuit of your dreams, make sure to implement a foundation in your life that can serve you no matter what it is you want to accomplish,” he tells KTVU. “Dreams are powerful and dynamic, and by having a foundation of good habits, you’ll be able to achieve your wildest dreams even as they, and you, change.”

Congratulations to Ahmed Muhammad for making history!

Oakland Technical High School

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