In a way, Yusuf Azizi going to Harvard is his parents’ American dream realized.
The 17-year-old, who graduated as Cross Keys High School's valedictorian Thursday, said his success is fueled by a decision his parents made to leave Afghanistan and sacrifice promising careers to make a better life in the U.S. for a family they had yet to build.
“It’s really because of them,” he said, sitting recently in the International Cafe restaurant on Buford Highway in Atlanta. “My goal … is to try and finish what they couldn’t.”
People at Cross Keys weren't aware of Yusuf's long college acceptance list until he had to request time away from school to visit several campuses recently.
There was Harvard in Massachusetts. Yale in Connecticut. Princeton in New Jersey.
He also was accepted to Columbia in New York, Dartmouth in New Hampshire, Duke in North Carolina and the University of Virginia. Closer to home, there was Emory, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.
For Yusuf, having choices is something he’s relished — even more so because he understands what his parents gave up for him to have those choices.
Abdul Azizi, Yusuf’s father, said when he and his family fled Afghanistan in 1983, the country was in the middle of a devastating war with Soviet forces that no one could see ending well. At the time, he was studying law at a university in Kabul, with a prestigious career path carved out for himself. When he made it to the United States about 32 years ago, he took a job at a restaurant to help support his family, which included his mother and a younger sister and brother.
“At that time, I needed to work,” Abdul Azizi said. “I needed to survive. I needed to support my younger brother, sister and my mom.
“When we left Afghanistan, we left everything behind.”
His wife, Nabila, also was a student at the time, studying business at the university. Both families fled the country about the same time, walking the hot desert for several days to get to Pakistan, before making their way west.
Abdul Azizi manages a golf course. Nabila Azizi works at Cary Reynolds Elementary School, in the DeKalb County School District's Cross Keys cluster, heavily populated with students whose parents are immigrants. The Azizis' oldest son goes to the University of Georgia.
“We’re very happy both our sons got both our goals,” Abdul Azizi said, “and are focusing to go higher than that.”
Yusuf will attend Harvard using scholarships and financial aid. He sees grad school in his future. And law school. Or medical school. While he’s declared economics as his major for now, he’s open to the college experience pointing him in another direction. One thing that will remain steadfast, he says, is his engagement and advocacy in matters that affect his community. He’s interned with the nonprofit Immigrant Hope Atlanta, which provides, among other things, discounted legal advice and representation for Atlanta’s immigrant community. He also volunteers at the Center for Pan-Asian Community Services, which promotes immigrant self-sufficiency through various services offered.
Jake Eismeier, a teacher at Cross Keys, said what’s unique about Yusuf is his desire to advocate for others in the Buford Highway community he lives in, where his neighbors are mostly immigrants like his parents who came to the states with hopes for a better life. Along the way, he’s inspired his fellow students who deemed Harvard out of reach, either for its highly competitive admissions requirements or its price tag, which can rival home prices in affluent Atlanta suburbs.
“There’s this increasing awareness of the community around him, and an ability to empathize with his classmates,” Eismeier said. “He never put himself on a pedestal above them. He also has a really intrinsic desire to pursue knowledge on his own. It’s rare.”
According to the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, just 30 percent of the Cross Keys' 2015 grads are known to be pursuing postsecondary education. From the same year, 61 percent of DeKalb County School District high school graduates and 65 percent of the state's high school graduates are currently enrolled in postsecondary programs. At Cross Keys, students of color represent 99 percent of the population. About 86 percent of the students are Hispanic or Latino. Most of the parents speak English as a second language, if at all.
“There’s no words to say how much I am proud of him,” Abdul Azizi said. “Working hard to reach his goals. I am very speechless regarding his academic achievements. When we came to the country 32 years ago, we came to work hard to see an American dream.
“What this dream is about to be … means a lot to us.”
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