A TEENAGER who was rejected by Cambridge University has been awarded a £250,000 scholarship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world's top universities.
Mohammed Isuf Ahmed,who lives with his mother Shifa Begum and two younger brothers in central London, will be studying physics and aerospace engineering at MIT.
Ahmed also received an offer from Harvard, but chose MIT instead.
The 18-year-old said he has always wanted to become an astrophysicist and was heartbroken when Cambridge rejected him.
"I got rejected by Cambridge and I was heartbroken," he was quoted as saying by Mail Online. "I honestly didn’t think I would get into the US universities if I couldn’t get in here.
"But then the MIT letter came and then Harvard. I have decided on MIT because it is the best university in the world for aerospace engineering.
"I was really pushed by my teachers. I want to have an impact on discovering something meaningful for humanity."
Earlier this year, Ahmed was among a group of students from Newham Collegiate Sixth Form, East Ham, who travelled to the US for a tour of the country's prestigious Ivy League universities.
Ahmed has paid tribute to his mother, who moved from Bangladesh in 1998 and works as an optician’s receptionist, for helping him achieve his dream. "My mum was always so supportive and when I needed help at school or with books it was down to her," he said.
Newham Collegiate principal Mouhssin Ismail told the Newham Recorder: "This is the next step in our evolution. Our students are now looking beyond the Russell Group universities, beyond Oxford and Cambridge, beyond the UK.
"To have the choice between the two best universities in the US is not only an incredible achievement for Mohammed, it is also a marker for every student at the NCS of what can be achieved."
Anti-Racism protesters come out in support of refugees outside the Cladhan Hotel on September 13, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)