About Me
Sami Elsayed is a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. He is currently a sophomore with a concentration on Computer Science. He is also a Sysadmin at the school’s Computer Systems Lab.
Elsayed in 2021
Early Childhood (2007-2016)
Born at the Fairfax INOVA Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia to two Sudanese parents on January 27, 2007. Sami E Elsayed has lived his entire life in Northern Virginia. He lived in Herndon during his first year, before moving to Reston in 2008. He lived in a considerably poor neighborhood in Reston called Cedar Ridge, where most people lived with a considerably small amount of money. From there, he attended Forest Edge Elementary during the 2009-2010 school year as a preschooler. He was a child of mental/physical issues, though these issues have worn off after many years. Having undergone surgery in his left leg, he was wheelchaired for 1-2 years, before having it taken off in 2011. He underwent checks at the Reston Hospital in 2012. He had serious issues with English, having to learn English in two different classes, though he is exceptional in mathematics, history, and science. He once took part in the Sudanese protests in 2013, which was part of a revolution that went on across the Middle East (Arab Spring).
Big Moves, Big Changes (2016-2019)
Elsayed lived at Reston since 2008, before moving out in 2016. He moved to Chantilly and started to attend Lees Corner Elementary in May of that year. Although he did start to perform well in his English, he was still required to attend English sessions which kicked him out of the learning environment. Therefore, after a terrible spell for English, Elsayed decided to leave the program after 4th grade, saying that it doesn't help him succeed. This was a changing point for him, as he started 5th grade, he performed amazingly in math, science, and English. This change had a huge impact on his SOL scores for English. His amazing performance just got better in 6th grade where he developed many skills and learned like no other student. He won the President's Education Award (Gold) in June 2019. He also won 3 medals during his 3 years at Lees Corner.
The rocky road to TJHSST (2019-2021)
His big changes were starting to take shape. His move to middle school had huge excitement from Elsayed, hoping that after middle school, he would be able to attend one of the most prestigious high schools in the nation, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria. In middle school, he was very popular, being known as a person that learns fast, and solves things quickly. He also attended the annual National Geographic GeoBee. However, his successful 7th-grade year was halted in March 2020, when the Coronavirus pandemic arrived. The drastic change in life was a huge hit at Elsayed. The pandemic eroded his skills which took years for him to master. Although going through these struggles, he ended 7th grade with a high GPA. 8th grade was one of the toughest years Elsayed has ever experienced. The change to virtual learning is not a style that he is used to, so he had a hard hit during the first few weeks of 8th grade. He, however, did complete 1st quarter with all As, which qualifies him to apply to TJ. He was amazing in math, as it taught him the skill of patience. However, Elsayed left the school year early on June 4 to Turkey and Sudan, thus ending his 2-year time at Franklin. He got accepted to TJ on June 23 a few weeks later.
Major Struggles
Sami throughout his life had been shaded by many people including teachers who thought that he was “finished” by the time he got to 5th grade. Sami is the perfect example of the famous old quote “Never give up” and “if you believe, you achieve”. Even with people harassing him about his English, and people putting their issues and problems towards him, he never saw all of that as a problem, using it to get better. He also loves to make new friends and enjoys talking and chatting with people. He rarely gets mad, and always loved helping people no matter what situation he’s in. Sami also has a sister which he takes care of each day, as she struggles with academics. Just 5 years ago, people thought that he wouldn’t be able to perform well in class, and could make it as one of the best, today, he is at one of the best high schools in the nation, fixing up issues at TJ’s CSL as a Sysadmin, and performing well in his classes, who knows where he would go next?