Roosevelt Student Leader is the School Boss
By: Melissa Ostrow
For: Suburban Newsline
View Original Article
A year younger than most of the senior class, Taqwa Mahdi is running the school -- at least that's what the principal tells the faculty.
At age 2 Mahdi was home schooled and learning at a 5-year-old's capability. When she entered public school she was put a year ahead, into the fourth grade.
Now 16, Mahdi is a senior and the president of the Student Government Association at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt. Mahdi said she ran for the position after she saw how much fun it was.
She said she made no promises -- she told the students to give her their ideas and she would work with them.
Since winning the position. Mahdi has not only continued the traditions of the Roosevelt community but she has also created new programs, said Elana Hoffman, SGA adviser.
"You can make the best of it or you can just sit around," said Mahdi,
Mahdi initiated a second pep rally, which was a success, so the school now has a pep rally for the winter and spring sports as well as the fall sports.
Mahdi also created a beautification program for the school. The first objective was to paint the bathrooms, said Mahdi.
Mahdi also meets regularly with the principal to find out what is on his mind, said Hoffman. "He calls her his boss," said Hoffman.
"I am the bridge between the principal and the student body," said Mahdi.
According to Hoffman, the other administrators also have a real respect for her and trust her judgement. Hoffman described Mahdi as having an energy that draws people to her.
Mahdi is the captain of the school's step squad. Step is a combination of drill and dance. The team was headed to the state tournament after being named No. 1 in the county.
She is part of the Thespian Honor Society, directs the children's theater and has been in many plays, including "42nd Street," "Guys and Dolls" and "The Music Man."
Drama class is what brought Mahdi together with her best friend, A.J Johnson, also a senior. The two consider themselves twins. "We are like one person," said Johnson. "All we have to do is give each other look."
The two are so much a like that they were both named "most school spirited" in the yearbook. They also applied to the same colleges.
Mahdi is leaning toward Villa Julie, a small private college in Stevenson, Md., where she wants to study film, photography and theater. Her dream is to direct or produce in the film industry while doing photography part time.
Mahdi is also active in her religion. She is the vice president of the Muslim Club, which she helped start when she was in the 9th grade.
After Sept. 11, many students came up to Mahdi wanting to know more about her religion.
On Sept. 14 Mahdi and the SGA put together a vigil for the community, in which she performed dramatic poetry and her father, Dawud Mahdi, an imam or Muslim preacher, spoke along with the pastor from another church.
"It's not just a religion, it's a way of life, and a lot of the decisions I make are because of my religion," said Mahdi.
Mahdi is the middle girl in her family, with four brothers, two older, and two younger. Her mother goes to school, and her father cleans carpets and installs telephones in addition to his religious activities.
It is her relationship with her family and her religion that has made Mahdi who she is, said Mahdi's mother, Jamila Mahdi.
"Her religion has set a course for her," said Jamila Mahdi.
"She is very true to her beliefs and she can stand up for what she believes in," said Hoffman.
