Iminah Ahmad ’04

As a student I served as Student Body President, Class Officer, Black Student Union Vice President, a member of the Soccer Team, the Tennis Team, the Dance Program, the Education Academy, the TryUMF Program and the Paideia program. The TryUMF program with Tech alumnus Darrick Smith gave me pride in myself, my school and my city. The African, Hip Hop and other dance classes heightened my love for dance and performance. The tennis and soccer teams introduced me to the power of sportsmanship.

I remember teachers and administrators like Mr. Price, Ms. Moreland, Ms. Joe, Mr. Zuckerman, Ms. Wolfe, Ms. Williams and Ms. Andujar. While there were beautiful oases filled with learning labyrinths, this same school had deserts of education and living scars of poverty. Daily fights, brawls and arson made me desensitized to violence, crime and vandalism. During my tenure at Tech I went to a school that was roughly 80% African-American. I was one of 3 AA out of 35 students in the most prestigious, elite and success-driven program at the school, Paideia. I learned intrinsically how the path we take early in life shapes the future.