Community News 16-21

Afnan Khan honored by Scholastic for academic success

Scholastic, the academic publishing company, honored thirteen students from around the country for outstanding academic success. Among the honorees is Afnan Syed of Lexington, Massachusetts.
All the students were enrolled in Scholastic’s  READ 180 or System 44 , the blended learning programs, proven to raise reading achievement for at-risk readers, these students achieved remarkable reading gains. They were able to overcome obstacles, setting themselves on the path to college and career readiness.

Originally born and raised in Pakistan, Afnan and her family moved to the United States with hopes for a more stable lifestyle and a quality education. While she started far below grade level, Afnan adjusted to American culture and persevered in her reading goals despite language barriers. Today, she is on the fast track to becoming a proficient reader by the end of the school year.
Afnan’s determination and hard work have transformed her confidence, inspiring her to study Spanish and receive acceptance into her school’s Health Occupations program with the hope of one day becoming a pediatrician.

Salman Khan elected Aspen Institute trustee

The Aspen Institute announced that Khan Academy founder Salman Khan has been elected to its Board of Trustees.

Khan graduated from MIT in 1998 with three degrees: two bachelors of science in mathematics and electrical engineering/computer science; and a master of science degree in electrical engineering. He worked in technology in Silicon Valley until the first bubble burst, after which he attended Harvard Business School. After earning a master’s degree in business administration in 2003, Khan became an analyst at a Boston-based hedge fund. In 2004 as a side project, Khan began tutoring his young cousin in math, communicating by phone and using an interactive notepad. When others expressed interest, he began posting videos of his hand-scribbled tutorials on YouTube. Demand took off, and in 2009 he quit his day job to commit himself fully to the not-for-profitKhan Academy. In October 2010, Khan was listed in Fortune’s annual “40 Under 40,” which recognizes business’ hottest rising stars, as well as Fast Company’s list of the “100 Most Creative People in Business.” He was profiled by “60 Minutes” and recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined is his first book, released in October 2012.

Erin Ahmed receives Student-Athlete Award

New York University women’s soccer player Erin Ahmed was one of 25 undergraduates honored with the NYU Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.

Ahmed was presented with the award at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 6, at NYU’s Palladium Athletic Facility. To earn the award, a student must be graduating with a grade point average of 3.5 or better and have competed for a minimum of two years on an intercollegiate team.

A four-year team member, Ahmed earned Honorable Mention All-University Athletic Association (UAA) accolades as a senior, starting all 18 games and placing second on the squad with five goals. Ahmed was also named Honorable Mention All-UAA in her junior season when she tallied five goals and notched an assist.

As a sophomore, Ahmed appeared in 20 games, starting 18. She scored eight goals en route to Second Team All-UAA and Third Team NSCAA All-East Region honors, helping NYU capture the ECAC Division III Metro Championship.

Ahmed was a three-time UAA All-Academic honoree and a four-time member of NYU’s Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee Fall Honor Roll. As a junior, she was named NSCAA Fourth Team Scholar All-East Region and as a senior earned CoSIDA First Team All-Academic District 3 accolades.

Ahmed is an economics major in NYU’s College of Arts and Science.

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