Remember Ahmad... the rapper who sang "Back In Da Day"?

[Raiders4Life]

Dude's graduating from Long Beach City College on Thursday as valedictorian and is going to attend Stanford. Dope news!


Rap Artist Sacrifices Stage For Academic Success   
      
      
   
      
   
   
By Carla M. Collado
Staff Writer

Ahmad Ali Lewis grew up in south central Los Angeles, had a record deal with Warner Records by his senior year of high school, spent 13 years traveling the world as a solo rap artist and with his band, 4th Avenue Jones, and in 2005 gave it all up to enroll at Long Beach City College and give his son a chance at a normal life.

On May 29, Lewis will graduate from LBCC as college valedictorian and as the winner of the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, the largest scholarship offered in the country to community college transfer students. He will use his scholarship, a total of $60,000 over two years, to help pay tuition and other expenses at Stanford University, where he just got accepted.

“It was a little startling,” Lewis said, recalling the moment LBCC President Eloy Oakley walked into his classroom earlier this month to tell him he had won the scholarship.

The 32-year-old plans to attend Stanford this fall to study sociology and earn a minor in African American studies. Ultimately, he said he wants to go to graduate school and become a professor.

“It means that I won’t have to worry about how I’m going to pay for my college education,” he said of the scholarship. “Having a 3-year-old son, that was a concern for me.”

In addition to taking classes at LBCC and being a single parent, Lewis has been working part-time as an after-school tutor in the Lynwood Unified School District. He has maintained a 4.0 grade point average at LBCC, made the Dean’s List every semester, is a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma College Honor Society and will graduate as a President’s Scholar honors student.

Lewis has done his share to help others in the community as well. He has volunteered as a teaching assistant at the Bethune Transitional Center for Homeless Students and peer-mentored an at-risk LBCC student as part of the Leaders Across Campus program. He also has visited juvenile halls and taught a Bible studies class at the Los Padrinos Juvenile Home in Downey.

Last summer, Lewis traveled to Zimbabwe, Africa, on a humanitarian aid trip. He said it was a life-altering experience.

“I always wanted to be a community advocate,” he said. “When I went to Zimbabwe, I understood that my community went beyond geographical borders.”

In fact, he said that’s what he wants to do when he becomes professor — advocate on behalf of disadvantaged people in society.

Lewis said his years at LBCC have taught him to think critically, to get at the heart of issues and to question everything.

“I really appreciate LBCC for giving me a chance to, later in life, make a U-turn…. They completely supported me all the way through,” Lewis said of his professors and counselors. “It gives people who are underdogs a chance to achieve."



http://www.gazettes.com/lbccgrad05222008.html

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Major props to him. Many can learn from this.

[REGIME MOB 510]

awesome story, congrats to him for getting accepted to stanford, that is no joke...

[bez]

major props to him.

[Mackin]

Congrats indeed!!!

Hopefully he won't do a mase and turn back to rap!
but still Good News though!

[Laconic]

Good news for Ahmad.  But hopefully they don't indoctrinate his ass too much over there at Stanford.

On that note I'm about to go listen to "You Gotta Be..."

[1234]

Props to him. Always good to see another black dude make something of himself.

[Cios]

Back in the day was da joint! Makes me reminisce about when I was younger 

[D-Stress]

Ahmad Is Unforgettable!
Love TKO Sample Iz Da Shit.Back In The Days..One Of My All Time Classics.

[ThaRealSupreme]

That's what it do! Props

[dymefasho142]

propz 2 him, its much more than rap goin on in the world...good 2 know someone else knows that

[BOX5 the best poster on this site yell]

whats wrong with turning bacc to rap? i swear yall kill me sometimes, ahmad is hip hop it's something he always gonna have in him,he ain't one of these oh i like the music cause of death row,they are no more fucc rap fans like alot of equals are in here, props on him doin other things in his life,he's a smart brother,but don't make it seem like rap is no good for him or something yell

[Outrageous Distribution]

Shout out to Ahmad I went to high school with him. Pacific Palisades. Mighty Mighty Dolphins in the house. He is a stand up dude. I would just like to share one encounter I had with him. We were at football practice together and my man RIP Ray Albdelkader was throwing shots at the younger cats on the squad and  Ahmad said dude don't talk about my teammates like that. Granted Ahmad didnt know any of us really but stood up for us younger players. He is a stand up cat. Congrats Ahmad. God bless you homie!

[M Dogg™]

actually a song that is uplifting, and maybe even try to Kanye on it or produce it would be tight. Get that whole college theme in there.