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As for how he balances school with his extracurriculars and still manages to remain ahead, Muhammad said, \"It has definitely been hard to juggle,\" and added that it took a lot of \"early mornings and long nights.\"

What's made it easy for him, however, is a deep passion for everything he's involved in.

\"All the stuff that I do is stuff that I love, so it doesn't feel like a chore or something that I have to try to get through,\" he said.

He offered advice to other students: \"One of the biggest things that helped me in high school was trying to learn from as many people, places, and ideas that I possibly could,\" Muhammad said. \"If you carry that growth mindset with you, it'll help you grow as a student because you're trying to absorb as much information as you can.\"

\"It also helps you grow as a person and be more empathetic and care more about others,\" he added. \"Just try to better yourself and those around you.\"

Looking ahead

Making a decision on which college to attend has allowed Muhammad to \"move forward\" and focus energy on his other passion projects, he said, particularly Kits Cubed, which aims to introduce kids to the wonders of science.

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A post shared by Kits Cubed (@kitscubed)

Muhammad came up with the idea for the nonprofit in April of 2020. While babysitting his niece and nephew one day, he had asked if they were interested in doing some science experiments, only for them to say they hated science and hadn't ever done an experiment before.

\"That resonated with me because I can't remember doing a science experiment until maybe like middle school or high school,\" Muhammad said. \"That made me realize, okay, there's like this lack. There's no introduction at this early age where it's so important to fall in love with concepts.\"

He went on to look up and design experiments that could be done using common household items -- such as a potato battery, pop rocket, and sundial -- and then packaged them into kits that families could purchase for a reasonable price.

\"That's what I like most about my son -- he's a giver. He cares a lot about people,\" Muhammad's father said.

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Ahmed Muhammad
PHOTO: Ahmed Muhammad, 18, pictured in an undated handout photo, is the first Black male valedictorian at Oakland Technical High School in Oakland, Calif.
>

What began as a one-person operation that sold kits door-to-door grew into a large team that hosts giveaways, donates kits, and has distributed thousands of them across the country.

Right now, Muhammad's focus is using Kits Cubed to support his local community, though he said he hopes to expand in time.

\"I'm a product of Oakland, and to be able to bring science kits to the same schools that I went to, the same school district that molded me, is something that I would really like to do,\" he said. \"We don't have plans on stopping anytime soon.\"

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