Posted on Apr 29, 2017 in
HIGH SCHOOL HOT SHOT
By Joan Frances –
Currently a senior at Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugar Land, Nawal Ali is an outstanding student with many talents and skills. He has excelled at academics and public speaking and has achieved recognition from his teachers and peers. Nawal is a leader and is headed for a successful future.
Nawal has taken Advanced Placement (AP) classes for most of his high school career, and the College Board identified him as an AP scholar with distinction. He is a member of the National English Honor Society and the National Honor Society. Nawal was involved with the Fort Bend Independent School District’s Gifted and Talented Mentorship Program, where he participated in a selective seminar course for independent research and project development. He was also engaged in studying International Relations Mentorship with Dr. Tyson Chatagnier at the University of Houston.
Nawal’s favorite teacher is Christina Stickney, who taught his AP Government and Politics course. He recalled, “Ms. Stickney’s experience in the field of political science and as a congressional aide made the course content more approachable and interesting. She was able to link chapters in the textbook to examples from her experiences.”
One value that Nawal lives by is adaptability. “Adaptability means being ready to make a change. It also means being ready for changing circumstances for improvements.” During his four years at Stephen F. Austin, Nawal has attained commendable achievements. He facilitated creation of the Extemporaneous Speaking team within the Austin High School debate team and qualified for the Texas Forensic Association state level competition for Foreign Extemporaneous speaking. Nawal won first place in both sections of the University of Houston/Dobie High School swing debate tournament in Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking.
Additionally, Nawal won Best Policy Paper and Outstanding Delegate at the Houston Area Model United Nations Competition. He is president of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). “Becoming president of DECA has been instrumental to me in many ways. I was able to perfect my public speaking and critical thinking skills. DECA also helped me to improve my leadership skills. Moreover, the professionalism that I had to display in DECA competitions will help me in future workplaces.” He qualified for the International Career Development Conference for the past three years, was selected as DECA’s Texas state finalist and placed second in the Southern Region for Virtual Business Challenge-Accounting. Nawal also achieved the position of vice president of School Based Enterprise on financial matters for the DECA chapter of Stephen F. Austin High School.
In addition to his commitment to Stephen F. Austin High School, Nawal collaborated with administrators of local community centers to create a health fair providing medical services and information to centers’ visitors. He wrote blog posts about international relations and current events around the globe. He is certified in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel and speaks fluent Urdu.
Nawal said he will treasure “the relationships with people I have met and those who have helped me throughout my time in high school.” He will attend American University in Washington, D.C. in the fall and major in International Studies. Congratulations on your remarkable accomplishments and leadership proficiencies Nawal, and we look forward to watching you make an impact in this world in the future.
