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Mohammed Shafim

Shafim
Elementary School: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School
College: MIT
Major: Computational Biology / Interdisciplinary Computer Science
Career Aspiration: Software Developer / Entrepreneur

Extra Curricula
Fencing Team, Student Government, Charles River Cleanup Project, National Honors Society

Favorite Class at CRLS
Science is my favorite subject because, it is the basis of how humans explore the unknown universe in which we live in. In most cases, it is the driving force of the achievements we have made as a species, so I hope to learn from it, use it, and hopefully add to it.

Favorite Teacher
Mr. Dagher. Before I go into detail about Mr. Dagher, I’d like to give a shout out to the following CRLS staff people (in no particular order): Ms. Borrelli, Ms. Read, Ms. Porreca, Ms. Cesario, Ms. VB, Erica, Dr. Lam, Dr. Wu, Ms. Atwood, Ms. Breyer, Ms. Otty, Mr. Hauck, Mr. McGlathery, and Mr. Montero, Ms. Mace, Mr. Gaglione, Mr. Hikes, and Mr. Walker.

For the past four years, it has always been a joy to walk into Mr. Dagher's Arabic class. He is the type of teacher to invoke energy within his students, with whom he builds an academic community with. His dynamic approach to teaching allows you to grasp the language in a very natural way, including the cultural context of the language. I have also had the honor to work with Mr. Dagher in UNICEF Club, and was always impressed with his leadership and organizational skilled, and I had always aspired to reach that same level of leadership prowess some day. Overall, Mr. Dagher is a joyous presence at CRLS, both during and outside the school day.

What are some of the out-of-school time (OST) programs that you participated in between grades 6 - 12?
Breakthrough Cambridge, MIT SEED, Neighborhood Service Project, Crimson Summer Academy at Harvard University, Audible Summer Workshop, Biogen Adventures in Biotechnology Program, BioSTAR, SRMP at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

How did being enrolled in any OST program(s) contribute to your success in and out of high school?
Being in O.S.T programs has mainly contributed to my growth as a student and a person. Many of these programs offered the exploratory benefit, which allowed me to understand what subjects I would enjoy going through high school. Also, it set up an entire network of peers and mentors for me to possibly contact in the future, so O.S.T programs are full of short and long term benefits are that quite invaluable.

What did you like most about CRLS? Why?
Everything (mostly)! While CRLS does have its flaws like any educational institution, CRLS is definitely an underrated school. The freedom of the classes allows you to have this constant customization to your educational path. There are also tons of extracurriculars to choose from, so you're bound to find something that suits your tastes. CRLS is also a gateway to the countless possibilities to the opportunities you can find off campus. I have found so many things to do simply because CRLS is in such a great place of progress. So, yes, everything (mostly).

What is something people unfamiliar with CRLS should know about the school? Why? 
The CRLS Fencing Team! I think people tend to shy away from the fencing team because, they think that they need prior experience, but I decided to join during freshman year, and no way do I regret my decision. The coaches will walk you through the basics from the very beginning, and no purchases of equipment are necessary! Fencing is special to my heart because it has made a sport accessible and fun to learn for me. So join the fencing team! It spans for two season (fall and winter), and is open to any experience level!

Advice to Incoming Freshmen
You can join clubs at any time of the year! People love when you join their clubs after Club Day (the showcase of all the clubs in the beginning of the year), because it demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in the club, and are not joining it just to have a club on your resume. Unless it's sports, you can join so many extracurriculars at any point of the year!

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