Seniors who do not personally know Afran Ahmed ’22 probably recognize him as this year’s Senior Council President. Tasked with creating fun events for the senior class, Ahmed carries this monumental responsibility well. In addition to being Senior Council President, he serves as the Co-President of the Songwriting Club, the Secretary of the Logo Design Club, and the manager of the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team. However, like every student at Bronx Science, there is more to him than meets the eye.

Ahmed is Atlas for those around him, carrying the world on his shoulders. When asked to describe him, his friends all brought up the same characteristic. “No matter what he’s feeling or what’s going on in his life, if there’s any sign you’re not doing ok, he will drop everything to do whatever he can to help you,” said Melanie Chuu ’22. “The mental strength it takes to be everyone else’s support is incredible.”

Despite all of his responsibilities, he never fails to put others before himself, something that cannot be said about everyone. He always knows how to help others whether it is having the right words to say when people need comfort or simply helping a friend study vocabulary for an English exam. Jakob Cheng ’22, who became close friends with Ahmed during quarantine, said, “He’s pushed me to reach feats I didn’t even know I would be able to, both academically and socially.” 

While Ahmed’s caring disposition is one of his foremost characteristics, he does admit that, sometimes, caring too much can be a struggle. “If I care a lot about something and it pays off, it’s like all that care went to a good cause. But sometimes, when things don’t go as planned, I just sit and linger for too long and it takes a toll on me,” he said. He went on to explain that because he stands more to gain than lose from this quality, it is not one he would want to give up, despite its issues (not that it would be easy for him to stop caring!).

Ahmed also enjoys meeting new people, connecting with them both in and out of class. Mamadou Barry ’22 said, “I met Afran in my ninth grade global history class. It was that awkward time in the year where the stage of getting to know people had passed. Yet, that didn’t stop Afran from asking me all types of questions and inviting me into conversations with his other friends.”

During his free time, Ahmed loves to go thrifting, sometimes bringing his friends along with him. “I spent a lot of money on just thrifting over the summer. I probably went five different times in the span of a month,” said Ahmed. “I usually don’t ever end up leaving a thrift store unless I’ve bought at least one thing.”

Ahmed’s compassion and geniality for the people around him make him fit for the role of Senior Council President. Because of what she saw in him, Jolly Zheng ’22 brought up the idea of Ahmed running for the position. They were only sophomores at the time, but the idea endured. Two years later, the majority of the senior class saw the same quality in Ahmed as Zheng saw in him and voted for him to lead their grade through their last year at Bronx Science.

“I thought there was no way I would have won, but I felt like there was nothing to lose whether or not I tried,” said Ahmed. “The whole process of running was a lot of work. It was a lot of sleepless nights and staying up thinking about things, but I had a lot of people to support me.”

As Senior Council President, Ahmed’s main priorities are to make senior year as fun as possible and leave a strong foundation for his successors. He said, “A lot of the things I have planned help put down the stepping stones for underclassmen to follow as president. In previous years, I’ve been told that, except for last year, there hasn’t been much emphasis on the Senior Council and there weren’t many events planned. I want to show the importance of the Senior Council and carry on their legacy.”

Looking towards the future, both near and far, Ahmed has a lot in mind. In fear of making empty promises, he does not want to announce any plans just yet. However, this year’s seniors can all have confidence that their final year will be worth the wait!

“No matter what he’s feeling or what’s going on in his life, if there’s any sign you’re not doing ok, he will drop everything to do whatever he can to help you,” said Melanie Chuu ’22. “The mental strength it takes to be everyone else’s support is incredible.”