Leanne Nasser was the American Association of Yemeni Students and Professionals’ (AAYSP) 2024 student of the year. This award was sponsored by Rasheed Alnozili and The Yemeni American News.
Leanne is a graduate out of Fordson High School. Leanne was ranked third in her senior class with a whopping 4.57 cumulative grade point average. Leanne was also featured on NPR’s “Here and Now” for her work as a student at Dearborn’s Fordson High School.
When asked how she felt when she received the news that she was this year’s student of the year, Leanne said, “I felt honored.”
“The first thing I wanted to do was to go show my sister because we share a lot of memories together, and that’s when she congratulated me,” Leanne said. “Then I went straight to working on my speech for the GALA, reflecting on my accomplishments thus far.”
One thing that made Leanne successful in high school was that she never turned down an opportunity that was going to help her grow. Leanne was the vice president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Fordson high school (among other things).
Leanne said, “Whatever challenge that came my way, I took it head on. Whether that meant I was volunteering every day of the week or just studying up all night, I truly made my best efforts in whatever I did.”
When asked what her strongest trait was, Leanne said, “My determination and will to stay focused.”
In her speech at the GALA, Leanne made sure she recognized her parents for all the hard work and sacrifices they made throughout her journey.
Leanne said, “My parents are the most important thing. Without their support being there for me, I wouldn’t be who I am today. My mom and dad always pushed me when I was younger. For example, if I didn’t understand a concept in class, they would do their own studying just so they can come back to me and explain it to me. That meant the world to me.”
In the fall, Leanne plans to attend the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and wants to major in neuroscience, with a minor in statistics.
Leanne closed out her interview thanking AAYSP and the Yemeni American News for the recognition.