Rama Elhatto: Solving Her Way to MIT
For the past four years, Rama Elhatto has excelled at almost every single rigorous academic opportunity Cape Fear High School has to offer. Soon, she will graduate as the class valedictorian, but things haven’t always been easy for her.
Her family moved to another city the summer before her junior year and she had to transfer schools. Rama is no stranger to new environments as she and her family moved from Amman, Jordan, six years ago, but quickly realized she wasn’t being challenged academically and her new school in a new city was not the right fit. Despite the difficulty of moving away from family, she moved back to Fayetteville with her father so she could finish her high school education at Cape Fear High School.
Rama fulfilled the requirements to become an AP Capstone Diploma recipient with the highest marks, also earning the AP Scholar with Distinction award with the highest average AP score at Cape Fear.
Even with a tough academic workload, Rama has stayed involved on campus, participating in Science Olympiad, Beta Club, DECA, HOSA and she volunteers as a North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) tutor and virtual buddy.
“My favorite is definitely tutoring for NCVPS,” Rama said. “I mainly tutor math and I love the idea of being able to help and reach students in every part of the state. Even though it’s unpaid tutoring, I feel accomplished when I see improvement from my students.”
Last summer, Rama attended NC Governor's School in mathematics, where she discovered a new level of passion and intrigue. Rama gained immense confidence after her experience, which she carried over to applying for the prestigious scholarship program of Questbridge, in which she was named a finalist.
Next year, Rama will attend the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she will major in mathematics. MIT has about a four percent acceptance rate, so being accepted is a huge achievement.
“The accomplishment I’m most proud of is being accepted into MIT,” Rama said. “It took an unbelievable amount of effort over the past four years. To achieve it, I had to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, try out new experiences, and put a lot of dedication toward my goals.”
Rama is also thankful for the teachers and school leaders who have supported her along the way. In particular, she is thankful for the kindness and compassion of Chris Lucas, AIG consultant at Cape Fear High School.
“He always gave me the advice and answers that benefited me most, not just the things I wanted to hear. He provided me with so much support and guidance throughout my college application process. He taught me that sincerity goes a long way and that it doesn't matter how many things you do, but how well you do them. He also taught me that everything will happen when it's meant to, even if we dislike the end result. These things I'll never forget. Overall, he's been a reliable counselor for me throughout the entirety of my high school journey.”
For Mr. Lucas, he is thankful for the opportunity to work with Rama. He is looking forward to seeing all she will accomplish at MIT and beyond.
“Rama’s Colt family knows she will represent Cape Fear High School and Cumberland County Schools well at MIT, as she will be challenging herself once again amongst some of the brightest minds in the world,” said Mr. Lucas. “Rama is incredibly gifted with intellectual ability, curiosity and unwavering persistence that is matched by her tenacious work ethic.”