Hickman's Mohamed Lehmidi will study computer engineering at Missouri – Columbia Daily Tribune
School was initially, but briefly, confusing for Mohamed Lehmidi.
“My friends were speaking to me, but it was almost like gibberish,” said Mohamed, 17.
His family immigrated from Libya when he was 4. His parents knew English, but he didn’t when he started in Columbia Public Schools.
He picked up the language quickly and hasn’t looked back.
He will be graduating with his fellow Hickman seniors at 6 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
He earned a 33 on his ACT and has a 3.9 GPA.
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He has taken seven advanced placement courses in high school and several more honors courses.
“Academics is something important for me and my family,” Mohamed said.
He has always read books, he said.
“My parents are both doctors,” Mohamed said. “They kind of instilled that focus in me and the obligation to get good grades.”
He described honors courses as a regular course at double the speed, while advanced placement courses have much more content to cover.
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He’s played on the school soccer team all four years in high school and was all-state in soccer his senior year.
In high school, he has concentrated on science and math courses, he said.
He took honors chemistry from Terry Brooks, who’s retiring this year.
“Mr. Brooks, he’s one of my best teachers I’ve ever had,” Mohamed said. “He would explode balloons and things. He was a funny guy and kept us engaged.”
He will attend the University of Missouri, studying computer engineering or computer science, he said.
His career goal?
“I think what I want to do is something like software engineering,” Mohamed said.
High school graduation is a big step, he said.
“I have mixed feelings,” he said about graduation. “I know there’s going to be more responsibility.”
CoMo Rising Stars is a Tribune series profiling principal-nominated high school seniors from around Columbia ahead of their graduation. The series spotlights students with a special talent, accomplishment or passion for helping others.
Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He’s on Twitter at @rmckinney9.