Activists are rebels, radicals, rioters, extremists, THUGS! Well, those negative stereotypes of what some perceive an activist to be, did not stop 18-year-old American-Muslim Ziad Ahmed from letting his voice be heard on his college application to Stanford University. According to the HuffingtonPost, in answer to the question, “What matters to you and why?” he made his point over and over again. #BlackLivesMatter was written 100 times which caught the attention of the University and made no hesitation in sending him a letter of acceptance which he posted to Twitter. “I didn’t think I would get admitted to Stanford at all, but it’s quite refreshing to see that they view my unapologetic activism as an asset rather than a liability,” Ahmed told Mic. Ahmed’s qualifications for the prestigious university did however extend beyond his now-viral answer.
As stated on the Independent, Ahmed is also involved in combating racial stereotypes, as the founder of teen organization Redefy and the co-founder of the youth-focused consultancy firm JÜV Consulting, he is a very hands on activist for social justice. "Furthermore, it's critical to realize that one-fourth to one-third of the Muslim community in America are black... and to separate justice for Muslims from justices for the black community is to erase the realities of the plurality of our community." As for his emphasis on #BlackLivesMatter in the application, Ahmed also told Mic, “To me, to be Muslim is to be a BLM ally, and I honestly can’t imagine it being any other way for me.” In addition to Stanford, Ahmed was admitted to Princeton and Yale! This is one teen that we are certain will be making a difference towards equality.
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