Fayyaz Ahamed has always excelled in school.
Throughout his life, the University High School student has stayed in the top 5 percent of his class.
In high school, he has dedicated countless hours to the Academic Decathlon team.
Having seen his dedication to school, Ahamed’s parents have always believed that their son is destined for greatness.
But even they were surprised when the 16-year-old pulled off a perfect score on the SAT and ACT.
“I was pleasantly surprised about the perfect scores, as he never came near to those numbers in his practice tests,” said Ahamed’s father, Ahamed Raza. “I was worried about him that he was not at all concerned about being prepared for these tests. We insisted that he should devote about an hour every day preparing for [the tests], and he did for the most part.”
Less than 1 percent of the 1.7 million students who took the SAT in 2015 earned a perfect score of 2400. About 0.08 percent of the 1.9 million students who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.
Ahamed surprised himself after taking the test in June.
“I couldn’t believe it at all when the scores came out,” Ahamed said. “When the ACT came and I got a composite score of 36, I couldn’t believe it. And when the SAT came in two days later, I was even more surprised. I was like, ‘How did I get a perfect score on both tests?’”
The University High School senior hopes to follow his father’s footsteps and go into the medical field.
“My dad is an anesthesiologist,” Ahamed said. “He’s always been my role model. He has taught me how to work hard.”
Although Ahamed has not decided where he will continue his education, he includes Harvard University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles as possibilities.
As the oldest of three boys, Ahamed is expected to lead by demonstrating hard work and a positive attitude.
“If he could keep the same work ethic and focus, we do expect him to do well in his career of choice, and achieve greater honors in future,” Raza said. “We would expect him to be a positive role model for his little brothers, without ever forgetting the values we try to inculcate in our children for the benefit of himself and humanity, in general.”
