Washington: A high school student from New Jersey, Ziad Ahmed, got accepted into the prestigious Stanford University after he wrote ‘#BlackLivesMatter’ 100 times on his application form when asked “What matters to you, and why?”
The news has drawn appreciation for Ziad, who is a Bangladeshi-American, and also raised quite a few eyebrows, the BBC reported.
“Everyone who received your application was inspired by your passion, determination, accomplishments, and heart,” the acceptance letter read. “You are, quite simply, a fantastic match with Stanford. You will bring something original and extraordinary to our campus.”
Mr Ahmed told MIC website he was “stunned” to be accepted. “I didn’t think I would get admitted to Stanford ... it’s quite refreshing to see they view my unapologetic activism as an asset.”
In 2016 he interned for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. He was also invited to the White House under Barack Obama’s administration and is involved in combating racial stereotypes, as the founder of teen organisation Redey.
“We live in a world where we are suffocated by societal expectations,” he said, adding he had been “labelled more times than a GMO (genetically modified product)”. He has also been accepted to Yale University and Princeton University.
While there were plenty of congratulations for the teenager, one accused him of “virtue signalling”. Another said “a real (Black Lives Matter) ally would’ve wrote something poignant instead of this ... attempt to look progressive”.
