1,095 Days: A Profile of Fatoumata Diawara
“I’ve been going around to interview the adults in our school to discuss who Fatoumata is as a student. What they all shared in common is how Fatoumata is a strong, disciplined, fearless person — how she brings a positive energy to our space.”
One day I was called into a meeting during the middle of the day. It was very unexpected. Not only was I called in, but a few other students were also there for the same meeting. As the meeting started, everyone had to explain and discuss about the programs and activities they’ve attended during their time at Comp Sci High. It was really fascinating to listen to these wonderful stories. All were interesting, but there was one that really stood out to me, and it was the story told by Fatoumata Diawara. She was born in the Bronx but grew up in Soundview near our school before moving a year ago. She has seven siblings and out of all the people she knows, she gets her inspiration from her oldest sister. She sees her sister as very hard working, and as a model of what it means to have a strong work ethic. As Fatoumata spoke, I was inspired to know more about who she was. It was easy to tell that she was already living a powerful, driven life.
It’s essential to realize how life is not an easy straight line. We all hope for life to get more simple. We all can get lazy, exhausted and have the feeling of giving up. However, Fatoumata makes no excuses for herself. Fatoumata Diawara is an African American junior at Comp Sci High, one who is recognized as one of our school’s star leaders. Most of us at Comp Sci High have it really hard due to the heavy workload and the lack of soft skills that cause us to get behind on work because of poor time management.
Fatoumata, however, manages to live a double life that not any normal student could possibly live. Her first internship was in 9th grade. It lasted 9 months and she would attend with her friends. However, when she was introduced to Career Wise, she felt how stressful the workload could be. Still, she maintains an active Career Wise apprenticeship at Amazon that has a three year completion timeframe, with a lot of opportunities upon completion. 1,095 days — working day and night.
Fatoumata started during her sophomore year working as a Project Coordinator for the Department of Health but she also works with different branches and departments. She had a huge interest in being a part of the health field as a career choice, and found many jobs with Career Wise that aligned with her passion for the health department, which made it very easy for her.
Fatoumata is aware of the fact that none of this is not easy at all, but rather “a learning process.” She leaves school everyday at 12:15pm to make her way to the public health laboratory in Manhattan. She also tutors another student in a different school in Biology. All of this work and pressure for a student her age, and yet she figures it out.
How does she do it all? How does she manage this? Is she alone? No, she is not.
Fatoumata is aware of her limits of what she can or cannot handle. She had Mr. Paez to help her on her path on taking internships and help her reach her goals to fuel her passion. She also has had Mr. Chambers in her corner. Mr. Chambers and Fatoumata have a really strong relationship that has been created since freshman year. Fatoumata mentions how many of her ex-advisors had given up on her but not Chambers. He has been her biggest support because he doesn’t just know, but also really understands her and is comfortable to have conversations about her future or any troubles. Fatoumata takes accountability and maintains communication among her teachers. Many of her teachers and adults in our spaces emphasize how she takes a lot more initiative than an average student.
I’ve been going around to interview the adults in our school to discuss who Fatoumata is as a student. What they all shared in common is how Fatoumata is a strong, disciplined, fearless person — how she brings a positive energy to our space.
Ms. Parcells shared that Fatoumata is “very motivated, driven, kind, outgoing … she actually wants to learn the thing and not just get the points.” Ms. Rebitzer echoed this, saying that Fatoumata is “an exemplary student who is truly a joy to teach – she doesn't rest on her laurels but pushes herself to work harder.” Ms. Helmer said: “She embodies what ownership actually means; she is the driver of her learning- the rest of us just get to act as facilitators along for an amazing ride.”
Ms. Pham added on, saying that Fatoumata has “a lot of initiative for an average student … she has never fallen behind, she proactively reaches out, she would ask the right questions.” Mr. TK strongly believes that Fatoumata “deserves all the credit that she gets, she is a student that is consistently looking to improve herself, her skills, her knowledge.” Ms. Fried said that Fatoumata is a “very driven, hardworking student…friendly to everybody, teachers love her…she knows when it’s time to get it done, but she also solely values her social life.”
I also interviewed one member from the PSL team, Mr. Meyers, who said: “Fatoumata defines excellence in any space. She is ridiculously hardworking, extraordinarily kind, very passionate, has a huge amount of service, and brings people together.”
Many of these teachers share the idea that “even if [Fatoumata] has an opposing view to someone, she is very big about hearing that opposing view, and hearing everybody’s views,” which teaches us how to respect each other. She takes all opportunities outside of school to read, to learn, and to grow. Mr. Meyers mentioned how Fatoumata is also a part of the “The Untitled Fighting Hate Project,” where he expressed how much of a blessing it is to have her. She not only brings everything that was mentioned to Comp Sci but “she represents Comp Sci,” Mr. Meyers exclaimed. Fatoumata is a student who will set the bar so high in a way that allows her to be ahead of everybody.
But why do a story on Fatou? What makes her so different from us? Fatoumata is beyond excellent! She is very reflective, in a way that allows her to learn, grow and get ahead of people. She is fearless! Brave! She always participates in any group discussion and is not afraid to give an answer — it doesn’t have to be correct, but this way she is able to reflect on herself to be prepared for next time. “She is not just plugged in to her academics in the classroom, but she takes all opportunities outside of school,” Mr. Meyers said. Not only does she try to involve herself into these amazing opportunities, but she encourages her friends to do so as well. She is a sensitive person where she would stand by the people she loves and care about, but she is also strong and resilient when it comes down to doing what she needs to do. Everyone loves her and I saw why when I spoke to her. She can illuminate a room until it shines in the brightest way possible. We all know she will continue to do great even when she finishes high school, and carry such a positive attitude to any environment she enters.
This is who Fatoumata is, this is where she stands, as one our schools’ representatives. She does not believe her own press. She is very grounded. She may sound like a robot having to manage a whole bunch of workload, but she is very human. She is such an amazing person and she does not care only about herself, but those around her as well. Not a lot of people at her age would be able to keep up at the pace she is.
However, Fatoumata also acknowledges the people who work around her. She told me: “Comp Sci High is filled with a bunch of talented students, and I think if everyone put effort into their work and their future, they'd be able to do the same thing I do, if not even better.”
Fatoumata is a planner, meaning she would try to envision how her future would look like. Every time when she signs up for a program or takes a class, she will continuously think about how it would reward her. She has this vision of how she wants her life to unfold, seeing every moment as a stepping stone that leads her closer to that envisioned future. Many of her friends would describe her as a “tryhard” but she sees nothing wrong in putting effort and doing her best. “Shouldn’t everyone try their hardest to get to where they want to be?” Fatoumata muses. She is so thrilled to live the day of her graduation. The reason she is a “tryhard” is because she is aware that high school is the time that’ll directly impact where she’ll end up two years from now.
Fatoumata’s mindset is strong and mature, far beyond her years. She has a tendency to consistently connect her present experiences with her envisioned future. Comp Sci High is very lucky to have her.