Future HFC student Nasr Abdulla featured in Free Press

Recent Edsel Ford High School alumnus Nasr Abdulla, who will attend HFC in the fall, was one of several high school students profiled in a May 17 article in the Detroit Free Press: “Class of 2020: Metro Detroit high schoolers share memories, challenges and dreams amid pandemic.”

Free Press reporter/photographer Eric Seals contacted area high schools, requesting to interview exceptional students. This came to the attention of Cheri Katzman, a teacher at EFHS, who had a profound impact on Abdulla’s life, and she recommended that Seals speak to Abdulla.

“Mrs. Katzman told him about me, about how I changed, and how I became a better person,” said Abdulla, a Yemen native who lives in Dearborn.

“Everyone has their own story”

Having the Free Press interview him was a pleasant surprise, Abdulla admitted.

“It was really cool,” he said. “Honestly, it felt great being recognized for what I went through. Everyone has their own story about how they did what they did. It was great to be recognized for that and to be validated by my teacher.”

Rough start

The third of five children, Abdulla had a rough start as a freshman. Prior to the beginning of his freshman year, his father died. Abdulla was grieving his father’s passing and adapting to high school – in a foreign land, no less – all of which took a toll on him.

“After my father passed away, I fell in a deep hole. It was hard for me to pay attention in class. I started hanging out with the wrong people. My GPA went down. It was around 1.9. I barely passed my freshman year,” recalled Abdulla.

Enter Cheri Katzman

In his sophomore year, Abdulla met Katzman, his French teacher. Katzman noticed how Abdulla, who wasn’t doing well in her class, was always withdrawn and depressed. Rather than fail him in the class, she reached out to him.

“Mrs. Katzman was worried about me and was always trying to get me to open up. One day, I was very depressed and talked to her, finally opening up. She was very supportive and encouraging. She even got me to talk to a counselor,” he said. “She’d always ask me how I was doing. She kept pushing me, pushing me, pushing me! I’m thankful to this day for what she did for me.”

Achieving academic success

With Katzman cheering him on, Abdulla managed to turn his life around and got into the right mindset to achieve academic success. He joined the French Club, the Key Club, and Link Crew. The latter is a leadership program where juniors and seniors serve as peer mentors to incoming freshmen.

“I wish I knew about Link Crew when I was a freshman,” he said. “I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else.”

Abdulla’s GPA rose dramatically. He earned a 3.8 GPA his junior year.

“I went from a 1.9 to a 3.8. That was amazing. Thank God I pushed myself. Thank God Mrs. Katzman was there to push me,” he said. “I also want to thank my friends, because they had as much of an impact on me as Mrs. Katzman did in my life and helped me get through a lot.”

Future plans at HFC

Abdulla is sad that he won’t be able to walk across the stage and get his high school diploma, because commencement ceremonies were cancelled due to the pandemic.

“It’s very disappointing because I can tell you that my family and I have been waiting for this day for so long. My mom was excited. My dad would’ve loved to have seen me graduate. But we’ve got to take precautions to stay safe,” he said.

This fall, he will attend HFC where he’ll study psychology. His ultimate goal is to earn a doctorate in psychology.

“My sister Houda goes to HFC and I have extended family there too,” he said. “I went on a tour and discovered what a great college it is. It’s much more affordable than a university, so it’s a great way to save money and a great way to get started toward my goals.”