Names: Fadhel Hamid and Jose Lebron
Ages: 19 and 17
School: Peekskill High School
Accomplishment: Highest academic ranks in Peekskill High School Class of 2011
Key to Awesomeness:
Both valedictorian Fadhel Hamid and salutatorian Jose Lebron of Peekskill High School learned English as their second language in elementary school and are graduating at the top of their class of approximately 200 students. Hamid and Lebron value the power of knowledge and plan to pursue their education to the highest level in their respective fields of civil engineering and medicine.
First in his family to attend college, trilingual Hamid (a member of several honor societies) is fulfilling his and his immigrant father’s dream of attaining higher education.
Scholar athlete Jose Lebron is the captain of Varsity Wrestling and Tennis Teams. He also received the recognitions of All League in tennis and AP Scholar with Honor.
Hamid and Lebron conversed with Patch about their priorities – family, education, and sports.
Peekskill-Cortlandt Patch: How do you balance studies and your other responsibilities?
Jose Lebron: Finding a balance for anything in life is ridiculously hard. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to remain competitive in whatever we do. I basically did everything that every other student would do: hang out with friends, spend time with family, play sports, participate in clubs, and go to parties. The only thing that I did differently was to sacrifice my sleep time. Sometimes I would walk into school with two hours of sleep and sometimes none at all. That was just a sacrifice that I was willing to make in order to achieve what was necessary.
Fadhel Hamid: The way I was able to balance the two was by not letting my self get lazy. Though at times I waited longer than I should have to do an assignment, I made sure everything was done and in time.
Patch: Please describe an extracurricular activity that you participate in because of your passion for it.
JL: Basically every sport that I participated in, I was passionate about. I love sports and I love the adrenaline that comes with competition. It was a way to let everything out and prove my abilities. One sport in particular that I loved was tennis. I joined the tennis team when I was in the seventh grade. I played a tennis video game once and thought, “I can be really good at tennis if I played.” I never played tennis before I joined the team. I managed to make the varsity team as a seventh grader. I played for six consecutive years. I have played in the league finals for the last three years of my high school career and I made it to divisionals in my senior year, which is the furthest that a Peekskill tennis team has reached in decades. Since I have been successful in the sport, I will continue playing tennis at Pace University.
FH: Baseball was a way of learning something yet not being in school. I was able to meet new people as well as learn the traits of leadership and teamwork.
Patch: Who is an influential person in your life?
JL: I have had many influential people in my life. However, the person who deserves the most recognition is my cousin, who is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Marine. Although he is only two years older than me, we practically grew up together. We were baptized on the same day and did many things for the first time together. We visited each other every weekend, since he lived in Bridgeport. Once he entered high school, he began to teach me many things about life. I was able to talk to him about anything and he was always there for me. He was more than a cousin for me. He was like a brother.
FH: The most influential person to me would be my father. He came here 20 years ago from Yemen in order to better his family. Just seven years ago, I was brought here in the hope of receiving a better education. He has been the example I followed with my early struggles, such as learning the language, since he had to do the same. He always wanted an education but was never given that chance, since his family depended on him. However, he gave me the opportunity to continue my education in hopes of achieving not only my dream but his as well.
Patch: What were important factors in your college selection process?
JL: Everything was important in the college selection process for me. The type of weather, the satisfaction of current students with the school, school pride, competitiveness of athletics, the quality of the education, location, and the amount of activities to do to stay busy. However, the most important factor for me when it came time to narrow down the schools that accepted me was the amount of aid that I received. When it comes down to it, all colleges have great reputations, however, the important part about college is what one is able to make of the time that one spends at the college. That is why I chose Pace University.
FH: Being the first in my family to have this, the only thing we looked at first was the cost and careers/majors offered. Not being well equipped financially, a private school seemed far to me at first. However, thanks to a few friends and teachers, I was able to look beyond cost and look at the programs. The process wasn’t only time consuming but very stressful not having much help at home. It was a process full of learning and new experiences and should be easier in the future.
Patch: What are your college, major, and career plans?
JL: In the fall of 2011, I will be attending Pace University in Pleasantville to study Biology. My ultimate career goal is to become a doctor, which means that I will continue my education until I reach the highest degree possible in my field.
FH: In the fall, I am going to attend Manhattan College where I am planning on majoring in Civil Engineering. My overall goal is to continue my education and get as high of an education as possible. My father always tells me its is up to me how hard I work in the future, and it all depends on how hard I work now. Unlike him, I have the opportunity to go to college and do what he always wanted to do.
Patch: What is an important goal that you would like to pursue?
JL: At this point in life, my biggest goal is to make the most of the education that I have and will receive. I want to be able to have a great career that I am comfortable with and be able to enjoy life to the fullest.
FH: The goal I would like to pursue is to continue my education and [choose] something I am happy to do for a career. I want to be able to say I am working and I am happy. It’s hard to find a person that is not complaining about what he is doing, but there are a few who are happy and I want to be like them.