Ziad Ahmed got into Stanford University, which is no small feat.
But his application essay turned heads. Instead of a formal essay, he wrote "#BlackLivesMatter" 100 times when asked "What matters to you and why?"
Ahmed, a senior at Princeton Day School in New Jersey, told Mic he was "stunned" when he found out he got in.
"It's quite refreshing to see that they view my unapologetic activism as an asset rather than a liability," Ahmed said.
I submitted this answer in my @Stanford application, & yesterday, I was admitted...#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/R5YxM77bWL
— Ziad Ahmed (@ziadtheactivist) April 1, 2017
Here's proof from Ahmed's Twitter.
To me, to be Muslim is to be a BLM ally, and I I honestly can't imagine it being any other way for me.
Ahmed said his Muslim faith played a key role in his support of BLM.
He's been politically active before. He interned for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign after leading the youth campaign for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's short-lived presidential run.
Ahmed has also hosted a TEDx talk and runs a youth-focused consulting business.
stop pretending like he's anything other than a minority being propped up
— moderate GOP👌🏼 (@basedPotus) April 4, 2017
His essay was not without critics.
LOL this is Satire right there. Why not write "I hate white ppl" ?
— ☆ ravingloonys ☆ (@KOTZE5) April 4, 2017
But Ahmed said he chose the hashtag on purpose.
"The insistence on an explanation is inherently dehumanizing," Ahmed told Mic. "Black lives have been explicitly and implicitly told they don't matter for centuries ... it is our responsibility to scream that black lives matter because it is not to say that all lives do not matter, but it is to say that black lives have been attacked for so long."
.@ziadtheactivist always making us proud. #BlackLivesMatter ❤️ https://t.co/lzXE4culo4
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) April 3, 2017
Many activists applauded his move.
🗣YOU BETTA! So proud of you @ziadtheactivist! https://t.co/JFE3NTp28A
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) April 1, 2017
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