Ahmed Muhammad, an 18-year old student from Oakland, California, has made history as the first Black male to graduate as valedictorian in his school, Oakland Technical High School.
Muhammad is honored with the highest academic rank in his class with a cumulative 4.73 GPA. He is also an outstanding athlete as a member of the Bulldog’s varsity basketball team.
Aside from that, Muhammad also founded a science education company called Kits Cubed last year during the pandemic. The company creates fun and affordable science kits that elementary and middle school-age kids can enjoy doing experiments with.
“Founding Kits Cubed was the culmination of all of the valuable lessons I learned throughout high school from so many amazing people,” Muhammad told KTVU. “I’m glad we were able to create something meaningful before graduating.”
However, Muhammad said it was just the start of endless possibilities for him. He was accepted to the 11 universities he applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and his “dream school” Stanford. He plans to major in engineering and computer science but has yet to make a final decision.
Muhammad, who is poised to be a first-generation college student in his family, is grateful for his parents who worked hard and served as role models to help him reach his goals. He hopes to inspire other young people to achieve success as well.
“Being named valedictorian is a dream come true,” he said. “I hope that me being class valedictorian inspires others from similar backgrounds to do the same.”
In the world of academia, where achievements are often measured by years of dedicated study, Ruth Ama Gyan-Darkwa, a young mathematics genius from Ghana, stands as a remarkable exception. Breaking barriers and setting records, Ruth has not only earned her place in history as the youngest person in Ghana to obtain a Bachelor’s degree at the age of 17 but has now been accepted into a Ph.D. program at New Mexico University at just 18 years old.
Born on May 29, 2004, to Mr. and Mrs. Kwadwo Gyan Darkwa in Ghana, Ruth’s journey to academic excellence began under the guidance of her father, a mathematics and physics teacher at Prempeh College. Mr. Gyan-Darkwa, recognizing the value of a strong education, homeschooled Ruth and her siblings to ensure they had the best possible learning environment.
Ruth’s academic journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Enrolling at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) at the tender age of 13, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. Despite the challenges posed by the technicalities of mathematics, Ruth graduated with Second-Class honors, earning her the title of the youngest graduate in the university’s history.
Her achievements did not stop there. At the age of 18, Ruth has set foot in the United States, joining the University of New Mexico’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for a Ph.D. program. Specializing in Electrical Engineering with a research focus on optics and lasers, she collaborates with the Center for High Technology Materials in New Mexico, showcasing her prowess in cutting-edge research. Click here to keep reading about Ruth’s educational journey.
