Brooklyn Freshman Of South Asian Origin Wins Prestigious Milken Scholarship

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Bangladesh-born Ayan Rahman, of Brooklyn Technical High School  is among just five students in New York City, to win the prestigious Milken Scholarship which aims to promote and assist young people as they navigate the transitions from high school to college and from college to graduate school or the world of work. It awards a $10,000 scholarship. Rahman was selected after a ‘rigorous’ nomination, application and interview process, a press release from the organization.

Rahman’s values and achievements show why he was selected. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rahman started The Quaranteenage, an Instagram account that collects stories from teens about their experiences in quarantine.

When he was a freshman at Brooklyn Technical High School, Rahman was attracted by the core values of the student service organization named Key Club—inclusiveness and caring. He spent Saturdays with fellow members working at food banks and planting vegetables at rooftop urban farms. As bulletin editor during his sophomore year, Rahman built the club’s social media channels from the ground up; the group now has more than 1,500 followers on Instagram and Facebook. By the time Rahman took over as president, Brooklyn Tech’s Key Club had more than 500 members, making it the largest chapter worldwide. In the large New York district, Rahman was named Outstanding Key Club President, and the club won a first-place single service project award.

An AP Scholar with Distinction, QuestBridge College Prep Scholar and QuestBridge National College Match Finalist, Rahman also has artistic talent and varied interests. He played flute in Brooklyn Tech’s concert band, studied architecture at The Cooper Union and earned the Quest for Excellence STEM Award.

Rahman speaks three languages, including Spanish, which he practiced when he traveled to the Dominican Republic with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) to work on service projects related to children’s rights and education.

He founded Tech Treks, a club to raise awareness about opportunities to study in other countries.

Tech Treks now mentors 30 students per year, and CIEE named Brooklyn Tech a Global Navigator school. In 2018-19, 40 students studied abroad—the most in Brooklyn Tech’s history.

Rahman will attend Grinnell College, a provate residential liberal arts and sciences college in Grinnell, Iowa.