Ahmed Khalil

When the Arab Spring of unrest broke across the Middle East in late 2010, Ahmed was a junior in high school. A bright and intelligent young man, he recalls the heady days of the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator who had held power for 30 years. “It was an event that shook the foundations of my understanding of the world and history. I never thought that in my lifetime I would get to experience such a life-changing event as this revolution.”

A competitive student, he was always at the top of his class in his academically intense private school. Although excited about the change and opportunities his country faced, he was frightened by the turbulence. “I knew that stability was not going to be achieved for years. I experienced many emotions and learned many things, such as, that life is not to be wasted waiting for something to happen. One should always take the initiative and strive every moment to achieve one’s desired goals.”

When his family decided to move from Cairo to San Diego in 2014, Ahmed found that, “transferring to public high school and then to college was a great shock, as I’d spent all my life in this nice bubble of a private school.” Once his family settled in San Diego, he set out to learn the rhythm of school here, and soon, “I was able to cope and achieve the highest academic honors.” He has helped other students by tutoring in math and science.

Ahmed can’t remember a time when he wanted to be anything but a doctor, so he set his sights on transferring to UC San Diego after two years at Palomar Community College. “It has always been my goal to be a physician, and especially to be a neurosurgeon. I want to be the kind of doctor who will from time to time help people who cannot afford health care. If possible, I want to not only help my community, but also I want to try and aid the global community by advancing the field of surgery that I want to be in.”

Ahmed has expanded his skill sets in academic medicine as a lab assistant, and honed his leadership skills as president of the Muslim Student Union at Palomar College. Outside of the classroom he enjoys a competitive game of volleyball.

“Moving to the US after the revolution has given me another view of life and has allowed me to find greater motivation in achieving my goals.”