Sarah Al Najar is an outstanding senior at Rangeview High School in Aurora, Colorado. Her record of accomplishment is exceptional!  In fact, the chair of the Language Arts Department who is also her AP Language & Composition teacher said, “Her writing skills reflect her intellect and show a flair for the English language that is rare in high school students; her literary analyses are easily on par with upper classmen in a university Honors program.” But before you all conclude that writing is Sarah’s forte, you should also know that Sarah has taken a litany of honors science courses in which she has received an A in every single class. Ok, so now you think ok, a writer with potential to also be a doctor, but then you review her honors math courses and you think “aw yes, she was born to be a mathematician!”

Ladies and gentlemen, this lady standing before you has a GPA of 4.5 and has received an A in every single high school class she has ever taken! Whether it be AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP Literature, Spanish, the Jazz Ensemble, she has received no less than an A.  Even more commendable is her involvement in community service. For four years she has volunteered for 9 Cares Colorado, which is a clothing drive to help those in need. For two years, she has been a tutor for the National Honor Society Chapter with 40 hours of service. And she organized a community blood drive this past fall with a record of 54 units of blood donated.    

Her teacher says, “Sarah is the quiet force behind the scene, leading and motivating others. If you do not know her, you might overlook her, missing out on the opportunity to know a truly exceptional young women. She is not the actor at center stage; She is the rock behind the scenes who makes the production a success. Sarah will be attending Colorado State University in the fall and plans to major in pre-medicine.

Will Lishan Amde please stand. Lishan is a SUPERSTAR SENIOR at Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring, MD with a GPA of 4.9 overall and 4.45 in the sciences. She’s taken several AP courses and received a perfect score in AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP World History, and AP English. She is well-rounded to say the least and after reviewing her record you’ll wonder why we complain there is not enough time in the day.

In addition to her long list of awards like AP Scholar with Distinction, National Achievement Scholarship Finalist, Rensselaer Medal Award for Math and Science, Presidential Gold Award for Educational Excellence, Rand Institute Fountainhead Essay Contest Finalist, and the Maryland Distinguished Scholar Semifinalist, Lishan has led by example in community service.

She is the founder and president of Lend a Hand Club, which raises money for the Ethiopian ElShaddai Orphanage and she’s recruited 50 members to her organization. She is also the founder & editor of her own Teens Magazine and has sold over 100 copies. What else does this extraordinary lady do in her spare time? Since 2006, she’s been a Sunday School teacher at Mekane Yesus Christian Church, as well as the youth choir director and piano accompanist.

Oh, and speaking of the piano, while some of us may prefer to listen to music, Lishan teaches piano lessons from her home for $20 per hour. At school, she was a Finalist on the debate team, has been vice president, treasurer, and liaison for Student Government. She also has played on the soccer, basketball, swimming, and track and field team at her school, even received a Scholar Athlete Award from 2004 to 2006. She’s already taken college courses at the University of Maryland in Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra and German.

By the way, she speaks Spanish, German, and Amharic. So next time you think you don’t have enough time to devote your all to so many things, think of Lishan Amde and let her be your inspiration. Ida Noel Girma will you please stand. This very hard working, smart young lady is a senior at Maggie L. Walker’s Governor’s School for Government and International in Richmond, Virginia. This highly competitive school only offers only Honors classes and only accepts exceptionally gifted students into its program.

Competing with the VERY BEST in the state of Virginia, Ida has managed to maintain a 3.9 GPA, while also devoting her time to several service projects. She has given many hours to assisting several church congregations in assuring shelter for those in need, has helped patients in the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems and Cancer Center, has volunteered 20 hours of service to the American Cancer Society (and for the past 4 years has participated in the relay for life-cancer funraiser) and has also volunteered and served the Democratic Party of Virginia. With her active community service, Ida has still made time to be a member of the Jazz Band playing the guitar, as well as the member of the Model United Nations Club, the Lincoln Douglas Debate team, the National Honors Society, the Environmental Club and the Film Club to name a few.

She was also awarded by Johns Hopkins University for being one of the highest scoring participants in the mathematics and verbal talent search in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ida is a National Achievement Award Semi-Finalist and her school selected her to be part of their national winning team regarding the Constitution in which she participates in a simulated congressional hearing in Washington D.C. Ida is a true star, having excelled among excellers!  Tamir Manayeh will you please stand. This intelligent, multi-talented young lady is a senior at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia. She came to the U.S. from Ethiopia at the tender age of five and has competed with the very best of them here in the U.S. !

Revered by her peers and teachers, Tamir is a member of the National Honors Society with a 4.0 GPA and has excelled in Honors courses in Chemistry, History, English, Physics, Biology, Digital Multimedia & Web Technologies, and Spanish. But she’s also a singer, actor, athlete, peer mediator, and dancer. She takes the lead in several organizations. She is the Captain and choreographer for Varsity Ballet, is on the Dance Team, Track Team, South Lakes Singers, Cheerleading, Step Team, Double Dutch, and President of the Interact Club which is an international student club that donates food and services to those in need. 

Her community service exemplifies her compassion for others as well. She worked on raising money on the Tsunami Relief Fund, has raised money for children with AIDS in Uganda, serves as a mentor for choir students, has gone to nursing homes and given her one-on-one time with patients, even doing their hair and painting their nails, and she set up a canned food drive in her school for families in need during Thanksgiving. Currently she’s also working with her family on trying to open a clinic in a rural part of Ethiopia.

Even though Tamir came here very young, she has never forgotten her heritage and has taken full advantage of the opportunity this country has to offer by also creating opportunities of her own. Her character, accomplishments, and compassion for others is testament to her name. In fact, she was voted Homecoming Queen and is the first Ethiopian at her high school to hold that title. So Tamir I want to tell you, be hoolom neger tamiryalesh!!

Will Mikhail Melaku please stand! Mikhail is a senior at Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio and does not stand out merely because he’s the BEST DRESSED YOUNG MAN on stage! He’s taken several AP courses and already received a perfect score in AP History and AP Chemistry. He’s also received numerous awards and already won a four year scholarship in medicine to Wright State University as well as a Merit Scholarship to Ohio State University.

I got a chance to read his winning essay for this scholarship in which he makes a detailed push for capitalizing on advanced technologies to treat pulmonary hypertension or heart disease. I know he already sounds like a doctor because I couldn’t understand half of what the essay was saying, which means you’ve got the medical terminology down to a T.And Mikahil, you should be commended for your longterm commitment to community service!

He served as an emergency room helper at Sycamore Hospital with a total of 400 hours, served as a team leader for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Youth Group in 10th and 11th grade here in Washington DC, and has showed his commitment to keeping the environment clean by participating in the Miami River Cleanup of the river corridor for three years! He’s a member of the National Honors Society and the Spanish Honors Society and is the recipient of awards like the AP Scholar Award, the Paul Carlson Excellence in Academics and Leadership Award and the Outstanding Student in Academic Achievement.

There is no question that Mikhail will excel no matter what path he chooses and his long-term commitment to community service shows us all that public service and academic excellence can be achieved as one in the same with the same rigor and passion. Last, but not least will Abby Tesfaye please stand. This multi-talented student athlete is a senior at Calverton High School in Huntingtown, Maryland.

With a 3.9 GPA and member of the National Honors Society, Abby has excelled in courses like AP Psychology, AP Biology, and AP Calculus. Abby has been very active in representing her class and has served as president, treasurer, and secretary for her class throughout her high school career, in addition to being a member of the Cooking Club and Model United Nations. She has also played soccer and basketball all four years in high school.

Her other admirable talents involve acting, dancing, and music. As a member of the International Thespian Society, Abby has starred in musicals like Moby Dick and Smokey Joe’s Café as singer, dancer, and has also served as choreographer. She has also danced for the Julie Roger Studio of Dance for the past eight years doing tap, jazz, ballet, and Hip Hop and has competed in numerous competitions.

She has also played the cello for eight years and is the solo cellist in her school orchestra. Her community service involves mentoring students as part of a senior mentoring program, musical performances at various nursing homes. She is also a member of Kids Helping Needy Kids which raises money and sends care packages to Ethiopia.