Laila’s going to Harvard!

If you’ve talked to me for more than five minutes over the last two years, you’ve probably heard a lot about Laila. This remarkable young woman came into my life via the 2019 Free Press Apprentice program, and at age 17, Laila was working on a journalistic level far beyond her years (exhibit a: https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2019/09/01/teenage-marriage-detroit/1808460001/).

An Arab-American immigrant, Laila graduated from a poor-performing southwest Detroit charter high school (so bad that the year before Laila graduated, the school's valedictorian devoted her speech to chronicling the school's deficiencies). This high school doesn’t have a newspaper, so Laila wrote articles, Xeroxed them, and taped them to the walls. The school doesn't offer calculus, required for admission to prestigious universities, so Laila taught herself by watching YouTube videos.

And it worked. Laila won not just admission to Harvard University, but a full scholarship. She started school last fall in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but had to return home to help care for her younger siblings after a family medical emergency.

Laila is re-starting Harvard this fall. Scholarships are amazing, but they don’t cover everything - clothing and meals and trips home to visit family, the incidentals that students from more affluent homes don't consider.

Laila wants to be a journalist because she sees stories others don't. Because of her background, because of her experiences, because of who she is - the world needs Laila's voice. Let's help her achieve her dreams.