California Teen Who Started Nonprofit To Help Kids Learn About Science Accepted Into Stanford

A California high school senior who started a nonprofit to help kids learn about science is set to become a first generation college student.

Ahmed Muhammad, who attends Oakland Technical, said he was delighted to be accepted by Stanford University, his first choice after high school graduation.

"It was a dream come true," he told CNN. "It still doesn't feel real."

The California native has managed to take nine college classes on top of his high school workload. He also tutors students and plays as point guard for his school's varsity basketball team.

And if that wasn't enough, Muhammad used his extra stay-at-home time during the pandemic to launch a non-profit called Kits Cubed, which designs science kits and experiments for grade school students.

Muhammad said he was inspired to launch Kits Cubed while he was babysitting his niece and nephew. He tried to get them to work on science projects, but his nephew resisted.

"He literally loved everything, and then when I brought up science, he doubted himself," Muhammad said of his nephew. "He didn't believe in himself anymore."

Muhammad said he decided to use simple science experiments to convince his nephew, as well as his niece, that he was not bad at science.

"We went to the store together and I had them pick out potatoes, and then I went to the hardware store to buy some copper nails, some galvanized nails and some wire and we made a battery out of it," he said.

Muhammad decided he wanted other kids to get hands-on experience with science — especially during a time when a global pandemic had forced so many of them to learn remotely.

"What got me into science was those early hands-on activities," he explained. "I know that in schools, especially in our school systems, that's not always there."

So far, Kits Cubed sells three kits, with three experiments in each kit. They sell for $15 each and come with a manual.

Thanks to a potent combination of guerrilla marketing, partnerships, grants and donations, Kits Cubed has reached more than 2,000 young people in Oakland alone, according to Muhammad.

"I want them to walk away with the knowledge and the confidence that they can be a scientist, even if they don't want to be a scientist," he says.