Rayyan Ansari

Senior Rayyan Ansari pushed through high school with positive pressure from his family. Both his elder siblings were in the top five percent of their graduating classes, and that always pushed him to strive to do everything to the best of his ability. “Having those two siblings who were excellent academically was an advantage for me,” Ansari said.  

His parents were always supportive of him and encouraged him to do everything to the next level. The family had a positive relationship; Ansari appreciated his parents’ sacrifices and encouragement, and his parents always appreciated his personality and obedience. “Rayyan accepted what we wanted him to do, and matured a lot since [he was a freshman],” his father, Mohammad Ansari, said. 

Ansari had an enjoyable high school experience through all the work. Having the same friends since elementary school helped him to adjust to high school life. Unlike many of his classmates, Ansari never felt that he had a choice between studying or going out; he simply knew he needed to put in a lot of time and hard work into his studies to be successful. 

He maintained balance through captaining the varsity tennis team and being the co-president of the Muslim Student Association. He also took part in academic extracurriculars like the National Honor Society and tutoring for  Mu Alpha Theta. However, Ansari felt the effects of prioritizing his school work over everything else, because he found that he lacked a strong social life. As a senior, he made an effort to balance academics and social experiences.

English teacher Johanna Ayala-Walsh was his greatest mentor in school, and Ansari was always a joy for Walsh to have in her class; he never fails to improve her day. “If I’m having a bad day, he’ll come in and say something slick and it’ll just make me laugh,” Walsh said. “Even if he’s always joking around, he never fails to get his work done, and he always does it well.”