{"id":220,"date":"2021-10-16T12:21:40","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T12:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=220"},"modified":"2021-10-16T12:21:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T12:21:40","slug":"cps-grad-roshaan-khalid-barely-spoke-english-5-years-ago-he-is-headed-to-princeton-on-a-full-ride-this-fall-chicago-sun-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"CPS grad Roshaan Khalid barely spoke English 5 years ago. He is headed to Princeton on a full ride this fall. – Chicago Sun-Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cHe\u2019s worked so hard to get to this point,\u201d said his Mather High School counselor. \u201cThe universe is just going to open up for him.\u201d
To say Roshaan Khalid\u2019s had a difficult transition when he moved 7,000 miles to Chicago five years ago from Pakistan is putting it mildly: When Khalid enrolled in eighth grade in Chicago Public Schools, he knew little English and wasn\u2019t sure how he\u2019d be able to learn much.
\u201cThe whole [school] system was different. I wasn\u2019t fluent in English, so that was a challenge,\u201d Khalid, 18, says now. \u201cI couldn\u2019t understand my teachers, so I spent more time on my studies.\u201d
Khalid ended up studying so hard that he not only aced his classes at West Ridge Elementary and later Mather High School, he was accepted to the Ivy Leagues. This fall he will head to Princeton University, where he won a full scholarship and plans to major in computer science.
\u201cWhat\u2019s amazing is that he\u2019s had a very difficult life, and he\u2019s worked so hard to get to this point,\u201d said Paige Stenzel, Khalid\u2019s high school counselor for three years. \u201cThe universe is just going to open up for him.\u201d
Khalid graduated Saturday. He is the salutatorian of his class.
When he arrived in the U.S. at age 13, Khalid\u2019s teachers at West Ridge gave him grammar and language lesson books to supplement his learning, aiding his English skills.
Though he discovered his love of computers in first grade, moving to the United States further fueled his passions. He quickly realized the impact big tech companies were having on the world.
\u201cI saw that America was driven by computers and technology. Seeing companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft making a difference in people\u2019s lives [reignited] my love for computers,\u201d Khalid said. \u201cTechnology is solving major world problems.\u201d
Opportunities like Mather\u2019s IT Academy continued to kindle his interests. There he learned Photoshop and computer programming languages including HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Khalid also participated in Northwestern Academy<\/a>, a free, multi-year college access and enrichment program through Northwestern University.
\u201cWe went on field trips to different colleges and took college-level courses during the summer,\u201d he said. \u201cI just challenged myself and came out of my comfort zone and learned leadership skills.\u201d
Stenzel praised Khalid\u2019s work ethic.
\u201cHe will take the time to listen to what everybody has to say and take something away from it,\u201d Stenzel said. \u201cHe\u2019s a very humble young man.\u201d
The importance of listening was a big takeaway from his high school experience.
\u201cIn order to develop innovative solutions to pressing global issues, I believe we must listen to each other, even if our opinions differ greatly or lead to feelings of discomfort,\u201d Khalid said. \u201cExpanding our point of view ensures that the knowledge we have and produce is not singular or reductive to only our ideologies.\u201d
However, Khalid did not succeed on his own. His single mom worked multiple jobs, even \u201con the weekends to make ends meet,\u201d he said. She also resisted calls from relatives to move back to Pakistan.
\u201cMy mother prioritized our education over everything,\u201d he said.
What was her reaction when he was accepted to Princeton?
\u201cMy family is very proud of me,\u201d Khalid said \u2014 after they got over the initial surprise. \u201cThey were shocked because they did not even know I applied.\u201d
Stenzel believes Khalid\u2019s success will benefit his family, too. His older brother, who is also a Mather graduate, worked to help the family but is now in college.
\u201cThat means not just good things for him but great things for his older brother and mother who have sacrificed a lot for him,\u201d Stenzel said.
Khalid also worked on weekends for a couple of years at Sweet Virginia\u2019s Kitchen in Ravenswood. He said the job taught him the importance of teamwork.
\u201cIf we work together, we can accomplish bigger goals and harder tasks easily and quickly,\u201d Khalid said.
He hopes to work at a company like Google or Amazon and has dreams of designing his own software or app.
\u201cI want to make and design software that can help the quality of life,\u201d he said, citing inspiration from entrepreneurs in the technology industry. \u201cThey are problem solvers and making a huge difference in people\u2019s lives.\u201d
He added: \u201cMaybe I can start my own company.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Filed under:\u201cHe\u2019s worked so hard to get to this point,\u201d said his Mather High School counselor. \u201cThe universe is just going to open up for him.\u201dTo say Roshaan Khalid\u2019s had a difficult transition when he moved 7,000 miles to Chicago five years ago from Pakistan is putting it mildly: When Khalid enrolled in eighth grade in Chicago Public Schools, he<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t