I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sarah Habib without a smile on her face. An eternal optimist, she shares her joy with everyone she comes into contact with. She is also somehow just as hardworking as she is cheerful, which has left an indelible impression on all of RMA in just the two years she’s been here.
There is a laundry list of positive attributes that can be used to describe Sarah, but resilient is the first word that always comes to my mind. Growing up in Afghanistan, Sarah attended The International School of Kabul until she was in third grade. This was when what she describes as her “golden years” came to an end due to threats from a terrorist group. She then transferred to a public school within her area where the “quality of education [was] vastly substandard.” Wanting to supplement her studies, she read English books and largely taught herself to play the guitar after she could no longer take formal classes. By the time 2021 began, terrorist attacks were rising dramatically, and the Taliban eventually took over Kabul on August 15. Sarah and her family were forced to go into hiding in their homes until September 10, 2021; they were notified that several evacuation flights were taking off soon, so they “packed up [their] lives in one backpack each, left home after 10 minutes, and drove for 12 hours.” Upon reaching their destination, they heard the news that their flight had been canceled. Sarah and her family were unable to leave until October 8 when they left for a refugee camp in Emirates Humanitarian City. While there, Sarah continued to take classes online to the best of her ability, though sharing the internet with 17,000 other people was difficult. After a year in the camp, she and her family arrived in the United States, where she has continued her education at RMA her junior and senior years.
As you would expect given her determination to learn even under the worst of circumstances, Sarah has set the bar high for herself since joining the Eagle family. In just her first year here, she achieved high honors, such as serving as a Senior Academic Marshal and winning awards for Academic Excellence in Honors Chemistry, Academic Excellence in AP US History, and Straight A’s in Grade Eleven–and this isn’t a complete list! This year, Sarah continues to show her drive for success through her demanding schedule. With AP Precalculus, AP Biology, AP English 12, AP Psychology, Art and Spanish–as well as serving as just one of four students tasked with putting together our Yearbook–she has a lot on her plate, but everyone knows she will do more than succeed. In addition to these tough classes, Sarah is involved in Stronger Together (which supports RMA’s Exceptional Children’s classes), Key Club, and the National Honor Society.
Sarah is not limited to just skills used in the classroom, though. In her spare time, she plays badminton and guitar, sings, writes poems, and draws. She has taken her creative and intelligent nature to Reuters, a news company that covers news across the world, where she was interviewed for a segment about the restrictions on women in Afghanistan.
To prepare for what we know will be a bright future, Sarah has applied to ECU, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, Duke, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Meredith, Wingate, and Mount Holyoke. As of the end of January, she has already been accepted into ECU, Meredith, Wingate, and UNC-Chapel Hill, and we’re certain that list will only grow in the upcoming month. As of right now, Sarah sees herself attending UNC, where she would like to major in Psychology or Biology to help her achieve her goal of becoming a cardiologist.
We are so lucky that Sarah’s long journey brought her to Rocky Mount Academy, and we know she will have nothing short of a bright future!
What is your favorite movie or go-to song? My favorite movie is 3 Idiots, and my favorite song is “My Heart Will Go On.”
Where is your favorite place and why? RMA, because I love to study in a warm and friendly environment.
If you were trapped on a deserted island, what three things would you bring? My parents, my guitar, and my books.
What celebrity would you want to be for two days and why? I would like to be Oprah Winfrey because I love the way she overcame all the obstacles in her life and is very successful now.
What is your favorite school event? I couldn’t attend prom last year, so that is what I am looking forward to this year. I also enjoy Spirit Week because I love the harmony.
Describe your perfect day at RMA. What would you do? What classes would you take? Every day is a new adventure and an opportunity to learn at RMA. I just cherish every moment of being in this wonderful school.
What will you miss about RMA? Absolutely everything!!! All my teachers and classmates!
What is one lesson you learned at RMA? I learned compassion and respect from the RMA community. I received so much respect and compassion from RMA and I learned how important it is in motivating people.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to an incoming freshman or to your younger self about high school? Enjoy every moment of being in school and studying because not everyone in this world is blessed to receive quality education.
