Schools

Whiz Kid: The Incredible Aamina Muhammad

This week's Whiz Kid is a talented dancer you'll want to tell your kids about.

Do you know a great kid volunteering in your community... or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch "Whiz Kid" honorees.  Let us know.

This week we're celebrating an incredible Perpich senior who excels at dance, volunteers in the community and works to fight racism.  Congratulations, Aamina!

Aamina Muhammad, 18, is a senior at the Arts High School at the in Golden Valley.

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This North Minneapolis native began taking dance lessons when she was 3 years old and has devoted thousands of hours throughout
her youth to developing as an extraordinary dancer and choreographer.

Perpich Center Dance Instructor Mary Harding calls Aamina "the complete package" because of her strengths as an artist, academic achiever and committed community volunteer.

"She is mature, creative and hardworking," Harding said. "She is a valued member of the dance program and is sought after for her leadership skills. She brought many strengths with her from her home school, Minneapolis North High School and the FAIR School. Last year, teachers at her middle school requested that Aamina help lead a racism discussion there. "

A strong academic student, Aamina currently splits her time between classes at the Arts High School at MCTC, where she is a PSEO student.

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Aamina is involved in student government at the Arts High School, and volunteers  as a kindergarten tutor and at the YMCA through the Youth Advisory Council.

Aamina has earned numerous awards and honors, including being the National Youth Leaders Conference Scholar, and the recipient of the Best Buy@15 Scholarship and the US Banc Scholarship.

Aamina will travel to China later this month, part of a groundbreaking educational and cultural exchange between the
Perpich Center and Luoyang High School.  

Eight Arts High School students and their two teachers will represent
Minnesota during the visit. Aamina will attend school and live in an on-campus dorm, with weekend homestays with
a Chinese host family.

"This will be a great experience," she said. "I am looking forward to experiencing an ancient culture in China. I expect that the people there will have great curiosity about my multi-cultural background, and I am excited about sharing my American experience with them."

Next year, Aamina will attend Columbia College in Chicago, where she will major in public relations and fashion studies. Her career goal is to be a fashion publicist.


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