黑料福利社

On the night of Nov. 30, 2025, Zaid Munir said a prayer.

The Eisenhower High School senior had applied to the QuestBridge National College Match聽鈥� a program that connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with full scholarships at 55 of the nation鈥檚 best colleges. He was just a day away from finding out if he鈥檇 been accepted.

鈥淚 was just worried that I would either wake up聽鈥� I would find out sometime during that day, and I would either be prideful and cocky, or I would be discontent. I would be feeling full of shame,鈥� Munir said. 鈥淎nd so I was praying to the Lord, 鈥業 just want to be content.鈥欌��

When Munir woke up the next morning, there was already a notification on his phone聽鈥� an email saying the status of his application had been updated. He immediately clicked on the link.

Staring back at him was an offer for a full ride at the California Institute of Technology.

It isn鈥檛 hard for Eisenhower Principal Eric Diener to see how a student like Munir ended up with a scholarship at one of the most prestigious tech schools in the country. Munir has a 4.0 GPA and has taken numerous advanced placement classes. This year, he鈥檚 also been challenging himself with calculus and differential equations classes at 黑料福利社 College as a part-time Running Start student.

On top of that, he鈥檚 gotten his foot in the door of aerospace and aviation with the Washington Aerospace Scholars program and the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club聽鈥� the Washington state chapter of Black Pilots of America聽鈥� and has been involved in extracurriculars ranging from track and swim team to chamber orchestra and Link Crew.

鈥淚'm proud to say he's smarter than me, and I'm the principal, and that's OK,鈥� Diener said.

Facing challenges

But those accomplishments聽haven鈥檛 always been easy.

For a long time, Munir said he鈥檚 grappled with the question of what it means to belong.

Before he was born, Munir鈥檚 father was sentenced to 25 years in prison聽鈥� something he said left a hole in his family. Living with an abusive stepfather, now ex-stepfather, Munir said he often felt like his accomplishments didn鈥檛 matter and that he was a burden.

鈥淲hen you have some voices telling you that you can do it and other voices telling you that you can't, and that you need to slow down and that you're doing too much, and people that are trying to bring you down, both physically and emotionally, it's ... it was a big burden, a big struggle in all of high school,鈥� he said.

During his junior year, Munir said the situation got bad enough that he chose to leave home for a while and temporarily live with other family members in the area. This year, more moving and court proceedings have been the backdrop to his senior year.

Although Munir is inclined toward STEM, he has a way with words. Writing poetry, he said, has become a way of slowing things down and taking the time to put words to his feelings and experiences 鈥� especially over the last couple of years.

There鈥檚 an excerpt of poetry that comes to mind when he thinks about his personal challenges.聽

I'm not heartless, but if home is where the heart is, then I'm homeless.

鈥淧eople say home is where the heart is, but I don't really feel like I have one home,鈥� Munir said. 鈥淚鈥檓 everywhere. I鈥檓 all over the place. I feel like I'm a part of all these different families, all these different communities. I don't feel like I have my own one group.鈥�

Recently, though, he鈥檚 noticed a shift.

Munir was one of just 100 students selected last year for the Horatio Alger National Scholarship聽鈥� a $25,000 award for students that personify the American Dream. In April, he went to the Horatio Alger National Scholars Conference in Washington, D.C., where he got to meet other scholars and members of the Horatio Alger Association who had once been in a position like him and had overcome adversity to achieve success. One of the conference attendees, former wrestler Thaddeus Bullard, kept returning to the idea of belonging. The message resonated with Munir, and he found himself relating to struggles Bullard had gone through.

鈥淚'm seeing him, and I'm seeing all these fancy people, and I'm eating all these fancy meals, and I just felt out of place,鈥� Munir said. 鈥淲hen he was able to tell me that I belong here, it helped solidify in my heart and my mind that I worked hard. I do belong here. It's not just by some random chance, not just luck of the draw, but out of all the out of all the thousands that applied, I do belong here, and this is important. I'm important.鈥�

Help along the way

Gradually, Munir has become more confident. He said he鈥檚 grateful for the many people who he鈥檚 leaned on along the way, like family, his close friends, his sports teammates and his youth pastor. Of course, he also can鈥檛 forget his teachers, like language arts teachers Cathy Briggs, who taught him all about rhetoric and helped him find his voice, and Noelle Bonds, who has helped him with his writing聽鈥� everything from college essays to court declarations.

Then there's Ethan Alexander, who taught him calculus I and II and helped show him a way to keep going with advanced math classes at 黑料福利社. Munir also was supported by YVC instructor Matthew Lewis, who gave him more time on assignments during a sometimes-tumultuous senior year.

Duff DeWitt first got to know Munir when teaching his freshman honors English class and has stayed connected with him as a Link Crew adviser. Munir said he considers DeWitt one of the best teachers he鈥檚 had at Eisenhower.

From the start, DeWitt said he could immediately recognize Munir鈥檚 drive.

鈥淭he thing that stands out the most about any project or assignment that Zaid worked on, either in English or through our leadership activities, is he always strives for excellence,鈥� DeWitt said. 鈥淗e is not willing to just do the job just to get it done. He wants to do it with the idea that what he is leading is something that is as good as it can be for the time that's been provided.鈥�

Both DeWitt and Diener said they鈥檝e witnessed the ways Munir has grown since his freshman year聽鈥� trying new things, forming new friendships and embracing a new spirit of confidence.

鈥淵ou wouldn't know that anything was happening at home that's different or unusual or challenging by the way he behaved in the classroom, and it's only when he let his guard down outside of those hours that a teacher would have any idea that that's happening,鈥� DeWitt said. 鈥淲hen kids see someone that's a peer that's able to overcome and to achieve incredible things, it's really cool to watch how much those his peers take pride in his achievements as well.鈥�

When Munir looks back at his time at Eisenhower, he said one of the biggest things he鈥檚 learned is how to balance his many goals and activities, take breaks and spend his time doing things he truly enjoys.

There鈥檚 something else he鈥檚 learned, too.

鈥淚 feel like one of the biggest ways I've changed is that I know I'm strong,鈥� Munir said. And as one of his throwing coaches has told him, strength is not always in size. Strength comes from within.

This coming school year, Munir will go to Caltech early to participate in the First-Year Success Research Institute. Then, he鈥檒l begin his studies, majoring in mechanical engineering and minor in aerospace. He鈥檚 also walking on to the water polo team. As he looks to the future, Munir envisions himself working in research, or maybe for an aerospace startup. But beyond that, he knows he wants to give back. One day, he'd love to be a philanthropist.

鈥淚 just want to make the world a better place, as best as I can. There's no reason why I should have gone through everything I've gone through and reached the point of being so blessed that I don't take the time to give back,鈥� Munir said.

Diener has no doubt Munir will continue to thrive聽鈥� even after he walks out of Eisenhower鈥檚 doors for the last time.

鈥淲e haven't heard the last of Zaid,鈥� Diener said. 鈥淗e's going to set himself apart, and I truly believe it's because of his inner drive. When he challenges himself, he sets the goal and he meets it.鈥�