Loukman Daher: I Am Grateful
Loukman's story is part of our ONE GOAL | MANY DREAMS Fundraising Campaign. Your support sustains a full scholarship, academically rigorous college-prep high school for students from under-resourced communities, where barriers to student success are minimized.
Coming to Boston as a small child from Djibouti, a tiny country located in East Africa, Loukman Daher took the change in stride. With little memory of his country of origin, Boston was home. It wasn’t until 2019, when the family had a chance to go back and visit, that Loukman understood the scale of his parent's sacrifice. “My parents came to give us a stable life and education. It was during this trip that I truly understood that they had left their families and community behind to give us the opportunities they never had.”
Loukman is determined to honor that sacrifice by being the first in his family to graduate college. As a strong math student, he is focused on colleges that have engineering programs. For the past three years his Corporate Work Study Program placement has been at MathWorks, which has afforded him the opportunity to understand the applicability of mathematics in a corporate environment. He shared that “My supervisor has been helping me think about college and introducing me to all the topics that relate to engineering.”
Loukman continued, “I chose Cristo Rey Boston because it was different from other schools- offering the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). Even during the Admissions process and the Foundations program, I really felt that the teachers were helpful and cared about the students.” He noted that CWSP “really changed me, made me see the world differently. As a young kid you don’t really understand how companies work, but through my experience at MathWorks I could really envision myself having a career in a large company.”
An avid soccer player, he has played for CRB for the past four years. Coach Jonathan Yu-Phelps noted, “Loukman is a confident and skilled player. When he is on the field, other players want to pass quicker, run faster, and shoot better because of him. They are more likely to take a chance or try a new move. But, like Loukman, they know that everything they do is in the service of one objective: get the ball in the net.”
A young man with big goals, Loukman has his priorities set. He wants to play collegiate soccer, graduate with his engineering degree and be able to provide for his family. His advice for younger students is “always get your work done and be productive in everything you do: productivity is a number one priority for me.”
An older brother to two younger siblings, he is determined to be a good role model for them. He relayed “My parents push me to be the best version of myself, whether it’s in school, on the soccer field or as a human being. I take that responsibility seriously.”
Loukman noted that his biggest inspiration to date has been his father. “My dad shows me how to carry myself, how to be a good leader to my younger siblings and how to be a good adult. I am grateful to have such loving parents who have sacrificed so much for their children’s future.”
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