Stanford University admitted a Muslim teenager who wrote the phrase “#BlackLivesMatter” 100 times in his application essay.
Ziad Ahmed, a senior at the Princeton Day School in Princeton, New Jersey, said he was surprised the prestigious Palo Alto university let him in.
“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,” the high schooler told Mic.
The essay prompt was “What matters to you, and why?”
I submitted this answer in my @Stanford application, & yesterday, I was admitted…#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/R5YxM77bWL
— Ziad Ahmed (@ziadtheactivist) April 1, 2017
The 18-year-old said he wanted his progressive bona fides to come across in his essay.
“My unapologetic progressivism is a central part of my identity, and I wanted that to be represented adequately in my application,” he said.
Stanford probably got the message loud and clear.
Mr. Ahmed was recognized as a Muslim-American change-maker by former President Barack Obama at the 2015 White House Iftar Dinner.
He also spearheaded Martin O’Malley’s youth presidential campaign and then interned and worked for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s White House run.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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