Raahina Malik’s star is rising straight to the top! Not only is she the valedictorian of Fayette County High School, she is in her school’s National Honor Society, Key Club, Academic Team, Multicultural Club, Yearbook Staff, and PALS, which aids students with special needs. Raahina received an opportunity to conduct cancer research at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute. At the end of the program, she presented a paper and a project on Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and received a scholarship. Among other scholarships, Raahina is also one of 150 winners of the Coca-Cola Foundation scholarship, chosen among 87,000 other applicants from 40 states!
Not only is she an academic star, but she is enthusiastic and passionate about volunteering both within as well as outside her community. Raahina is the co-founder of the AKF Partnership Club in her school. She also mentored at a local elementary school, and she currently interns at a hospital. Raahina’s voluntary service includes teaching young children in the Jamat through ECDC and REC. Last year, she wrote a short article about her experience in a refugee shelter with her peers for her SHARE project, called “Spark of Hope.” The article was published in The Ismaili USA July 2015 issue. Her interest in journalism encouraged her to volunteer at the US Ismaili Games (USIG) in Dallas in November 2015, where her articles were also published on The Ismaili USA games’ webpage.
Raahina is taking on the world next! She has been granted a full merit scholarship to Duke University, and she is very excited to attend this university this fall. In Raahina’s words, “I am very thankful to God for all that I have achieved so far and also for my incredible family’s and teachers’ endless support and encouragement. I strive to overcome my obstacles, empower other leaders, and make a difference in my community, which I hope to continue to do in college,” she says. “I am also willing to aid other high school students in any capacity with the college admissions or scholarship process.” Look for Raahina’s meteoric rise and continue her “spark of hope”!
By Salima Jethani for Ismailimail
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