Muhammad Muazzam S.
About Me
My name is Muhammad but I go by Muazzam. I was born in Lahore, Pakistan, but my family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, when I was just 3 months old (I grew up speaking English). When I was seven we moved back to Pakistan, I hardly knew any Urdu, the national language. I slowly learned it and became accustomed to the new culture, which gave me a pretty broad perspective on national identity and culture since I grew up in two completely new places. Outside of school, I love doing robotics, reading books, playing video games, and playing chess. I also love playing soccer, though I'm not very good at it! I aspire to be an entrepreneur and start my own car company once I graduate from college.
Why I Chose Stanford OHS
I applied to Stanford OHS because I felt like I didn't fit in at my brick and mortar school. Because I moved back to Pakistan after growing up in America, there was always a language barrier between my classmates and myself. They all knew fluent Urdu, while I could only understand it but not speak it. I never felt accepted at school, and would feel like an outsider. Additionally, I had always been academically ahead of my classmates. However, my school made every student take the same classes. I was thus always bored in class and would come back home extremely depressed after school. I was researching online programs one day when I came across Stanford OHS. I read about its rigorous curriculum and saw that it was based in America, so language would not be a problem. I instantly knew that Stanford OHS was the right fit for me, and applied as soon as I could. After two years as a full-time student, I realized I couldn't continue because I was getting extremely lonely. As an international student living in Pakistan, where no other students from Stanford OHS resided, I only saw my classmates and teachers once at Summer @ Stanford. Thus, I decided to go back to my brick and mortar school, while continuing taking classes from Stanford OHS to stay academically challenged. In the first year of this arrangement, I took HSC and MWA from Stanford OHS.
This year, I decided to take a more math-focused route for the rest of my time at Stanford OHS. I'm now taking Logic in Action for semester one, and advanced problem solving and proof techniques for semester 2. I think this is the best possible arrangement. Though I still do not entirely fit in at my local school, I am less lonely than when I was full time at Stanford OHS. I've solved the problem of not being academically challenged enough at my local school by taking Stanford OHS courses. My time at Stanford OHS developed my intellect more than I had ever hoped. I was introduced to philosophy, academic writing, and mathematical rigor, all of which were new to me. It made me into a more developed person, familiar with more fields of academics. I also am a better writer and am much better at thinking analytically. Being at Stanford OHS also gave me more time to pursue my hobbies. I furthered my understanding of robotics and started a project that I am still working on, I am building a stable-flying from scratch. I also was able to get better at soccer, which I had been interested in for a long time. Though I didn't stay full time at Stanford OHS, it helped develop me as a person and opened my eyes to possibilities that I had not realized were there. It still continues to challenge me and keeps me engaged with the course I am currently taking.