18-Year Old Becomes First Black Male Valedictorian at High School in Oakland

Nationwide — Ahmed Muhammad, an 18-year old student from Oakland, California, has made history as the first Black male to graduate as valedictorian in his school, Oakland Technical High School.

Muhammad is honored with the highest academic rank in his class with a cumulative 4.73 GPA. He is also an outstanding athlete as a member of the Bulldog’s varsity basketball team.
Aside from that, Muhammad also founded a science education company called Kits Cubed last year during the pandemic. The company creates fun and affordable science kits that elementary and middle school-age kids can enjoy doing experiments with.

“Founding Kits Cubed was the culmination of all of the valuable lessons I learned throughout high school from so many amazing people,” Muhammad told KTVU. “I’m glad we were able to create something meaningful before graduating.”

However, Muhammad said it was just the start of endless possibilities for him. He was accepted to the 11 universities he applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and his “dream school” Stanford. He plans to major in engineering and computer science but has yet to make a final decision.

Muhammad, who is poised to be a first-generation college student in his family, is grateful for his parents who worked hard and served as role models to help him reach his goals. He hopes to inspire other young people to achieve success as well.

“Being named valedictorian is a dream come true,” he said. “I hope that me being class valedictorian inspires others from similar backgrounds to do the same.”