Naim David graduated from AHSS in 2013 and now works as Sports, Atmosphere, & Creative Manager - Filmmaker for Buffalo Wings & Rings and Chixter
“Walking Back Through the Gates”
I recently had the chance to visit Abdul Hamid Sharaf School-AHSS, as we all know it. Stepping onto campus instantly pulled me back to my very first day there in 9th grade. It was my first day of school in Jordan, ever. Until then, all my school years had been in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jordan wasn’t new to me, but moving here and actually building a life was different. I had no idea what to expect. I also had no idea that the next four years would stay with me for the rest of my life.
I still remember walking through those front gates and being greeted right away by a student who would go on to become a lifelong friend. He showed me around the school grounds, and it felt a bit like that scene in Mean Girls where Lindsay Lohan’s character is being briefed by Janis-only this time it was real life. The cliques, the friend groups, the teachers, the “who’s who” of the school. It was a tour I can still replay in my head today.
It’s been twelve years since I graduated. A lot can happen in twelve years-and it goes by unbelievably fast. Ferris Bueller was right about that. Coming back after all that time felt warm and strangely familiar. Walking those halls again, seeing a few familiar faces, remembering the ones who had moved on-it was like visiting a version of myself I hadn’t seen in a long time.
My senior year, I had the privilege of being taught by Miss Sue in English class. Her passion for knowledge, for books, for getting us to think a little deeper, was something special. I miss her. We all do. Her legacy now lives on through Ustaz Tareq and his family, and in the way she touched so many of our lives.
There was always one thing that lingered in the back of my mind: the senior wall. I never signed it. I used to tell myself I didn’t know why, but the truth is I do remember-I just wish I hadn’t listened to whoever or whatever held me back at the time. On this visit, I finally asked for a favor, and they kindly let me spray my name on the wall-twelve years after graduating. It was simple, fun, and oddly emotional. One small thing, finally checked off the list.
Thank you, Jeff and James.
If you’re a student at AHSS right now, here’s what I’d tell you: don’t wait. Say yes to the small moments. Talk to the person you don’t know yet. Thank your teachers while you still see them every day. Join the thing you’re unsure about. Sign the wall. These years will feel normal now, but one day you’ll walk back through those gates and realize they were some of the chapters that shaped you the most. Make sure, when that day comes, you’re proud of the name you left behind.
