His heart was pounding. He kept wondering, “Did I drop?” while the transcript loaded so slowly it was painful. Finally, he stared at his rank.
One. The first in the school. The kid with the best grades. The “one.”
“It’s an honor,” senior Azim Dharani said. “I never thought I’d be valedictorian when I was in middle school.”
Dharani obtained the highest rank during the 3rd 9 weeks of his sophomore year.
“I was never really stressed,” Dharani said. “I’m good friends with the rest of the people in the top 10 and we always helped each other out. I just worked really hard. People always think I’m smarter than I really am, but the key was really just doing the best I could.”
Though Dharani has had success, he says his religion keeps him humble. The Aga Khan, the leader of the Ismaili Muslim faith, acts as a role model for Dharani.
Although Dharani studied 2-4 hours a day, he says it never took away from his social life. His extracurriculars became an integral part of his social life.
“I still get to have a ton of fun,” Dharani said. “I have sleepovers and watch movies with my bros. Band gives me a lot of time to socialize and so do some of my other clubs.”
Dharani plays the bass trombone and is a band officer. He is also the president of the National Honor Society (NHS), secretary of the Science NHS, and an Eagle Scout. He created the first Boy Scout band in America.
More at the source: April 26, 2016, Maleeha Ahmad, The Hawk Eye
Ismailimail 