Attending: James Madison University

Graduated: South Lakes High School in 2007

Ahmed Khaled Abdul Ali, 19, is a second year student at James Madison University after attending Northern Virginia Community College for one year. Born in Afghanistan, Abdul Ali spent eight years in Turkmenistan where he learned the Russian language before coming to the United States with his family in 2005.

Abdul Ali hopes to one day become a doctor.

Upon graduating from South Lakes High School in June 2007, Abdul Ali received a laptop from the school’s Laptop Scholarship. "It helps a lot," he said about the new computer that he received as a helping tool in his pursuit of higher education. "At the school [the college] there are a lot of people using the computer lab. With my laptop, I can sit in a quiet place and do my homework," said Abdul Ali. He uses the laptop to write essays and research papers. Prior to receiving the laptop, Abdul Ali’s family of six used one computer at home. He said it was difficult to get any time on the computer for personal academic purposes, with three siblings and parents all using the same machine.