Student Spotlight: Ahmed Elgendy
August 11, 2021
At Virtual High School, we’re always looking to support our student artists, which is why we’re so excited to introduce you to Ahmed Elgendy in this month’s Student Spotlight!
Although born in Toronto, Ontario, Ahmed moved with his family to Egypt as a young child. (Check out just a few of his amazing pictures of Egypt below!!) He’s spent most of his free time since then exploring the world of art, whether that’s learning, drawing, researching other artists, or practicing his techniques. Ahmed loves experimenting with different design styles and trying to improve his skills:
“I REALLY love drawing because there are no rules to art, and I can just put all my creativity into a drawing.”
Ahmed has become SO skilled in his practice that he even won 4th place in a national art competition hosted by the Indian Embassy in Egypt!! He was the first student from his Egyptian home school to win a place in the competition since its inception! At the young age of 17, he’s already eager and ready to begin working as a freelance artist for clients.
Having taken several courses at VHS, Ahmed has highlighted the Introduction to Business (BBI1O/2O) course as his favourite because of its practical applications for real-world situations (like, say, running his own art business one day). In fact, Ahmed hopes to eventually attend university to study business and fine arts. The goal is to learn how to develop his art into a brand so that he can sell prints and merchandise that feature his very own designs.
As an artist, Ahmed found himself looking for a different educational model that would allow him to focus more of his time on his passion for art. He didn’t feel connected to his studies and found that he was no longer enjoying his experience in an in-person classroom setting. When he discovered Virtual High School, he knew that he had found the right fit:
“It allowed me to become better at art since I have more time to practice it, while also offering flexibility between my studies and hobbies, all while being comfortable in my room.”
His flexible schedule has afforded him the time to explore various work and volunteer opportunities. Ahmed has worked as a sales associate in a toy store (which sounds like the best job ever) and as an English teaching assistant where he helps younger students develop their vocabulary and conversation skills. He also participates in community service activities, like serving food to people in need and playing games with kids from a local orphanage. Ahmed cites his father as his greatest role model because of his father’s kind-hearted nature, pride in his career, and devotion to his close friends and family. It’s evident to us that his father’s influence is in every generous deed that Ahmed performs.
When he’s not busy making the world a better, more beautiful place, Ahmed enjoys playing video games with his friends or single-player games where he can build his own character and story. He also loves reading books, comics, and Manga, particularly if the narrative covers deeply psychological and serious topics. His favourite genres are science fiction, mystery, and action.
We’re so honoured that such a well-rounded, compassionate student chose VHS for his studies:
“Joining VHS was a gamble, but I am truly proud that I made the right decision to join this school because it is forcing me to become more responsible and pay attention to the details of the work I do. I’m actually applying the stuff I learn to real-life situations.”
The future is bright for Ahmed Elgendy, and we’ll all be paying attention to where this talented artist goes in life.