2 minute read
Success on the Track and in Life
INNOVATION G
raduating senior Hamdy Ismail’s life before attending Riverside was what he considers normal. A straight “A” student in middle school, Ismail competed in track and basketball and earned a red-black belt in Taekwondo, but his life really blossomed when he started attending Riverside.
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The son of a single Ethiopian immigrant mother, Ismail, credits the discipline and support he has received at Riverside with not only his academic success but also his triumphs on the track, where he continued competing his freshman year, specializing in the 800 meter and the 5k. He came in first at the Atlanta Classic meet and took 20th out of 206 runners in the cross-country state championship.
Ismail credits the self-discipline he learned to the Academy and his many achievements to his teachers and coaches – notably instructor Heather Melchior. “She started off as my science teacher, and once I heard she had been a Division I athlete, I knew this was the opportunity of my high school career to be coached by someone with her background, and, thankfully, she agreed,” Ismail said.
on the Track... “He wanted so badly to have someone believe in him and guide him to success, so I stepped up,” said Melchior. “He became more than a student; he became like a son.”
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Ismail was focused on both academics and athletics. His favorite subject is Biology, and he wants to be a pre-med major in college with hopes of becoming a general internist.
...Ismail ran a time of 17 minutes, 53 seconds in the 5K, a 14 second lead, to claim first place in the Class A-4A division of the Atlanta Classic.
Ismail has some advice for students enrolling at Riverside: “Make the best that you can from this school, and be different from others.”
Ismail is glad he attended Riverside.
“I accomplished so much here, and that would not have happened at a public
school,” he said. His mother, Raneia Ibrahim, agreed. “Sending him to RMA is the best investment I have ever made.”
The future is bright for this young alumnus.
...and in Life
Raneia Ibrahim, Ismail's mother
