Growing up in Greenville, Abdullah Ahmad enjoyed making things with moving parts and was fascinated by problem-solving.
While a student at Greenville Technical Charter High School, he joined the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics’ Accelerate program, and explored ways to turn his interest to practical application through GE’s Next Engineering Academy.
Ahmad’s academic achievement, including a 5.28 grade point average, and community engagement were noticed. He was one of 16 students awarded the 2024 Margaret and Jack Paylor Family Scholarship.
Now he’s following his dream to study engineering at Clemson University. Ahmad said the Paylor scholarship has helped with expenses while he’s making the most of his college experience.
Abdullah Ahmad“It has helped by covering half of my housing costs, so I didn’t have to pay out of savings,” he said.
Ahmad initially planned to study mechanical engineering with an eye toward a career in the automotive industry. But a lecture by John DesJardins, Ph.D., Hambright Distinguished Professor in Engineering Leadership at Clemson University, introduced him to another promising field for engineering and problem-solving – bioengineering.
“He told us how he had patented four or five prosthetics,” Ahmad said. “I liked that it was a multifaceted process – designing the project, finding financial backing, marketing and other strategies. We talked afterwards and I decided to change my major to bioengineering.”
In addition to his academic work, Ahmad enjoys athletics and being active in the community. In high school, he participated in track and field, cross country and lacrosse, as well as Palmetto Boys State and Muslim Youth of Greenville. He volunteered as a youth Muay Thai coach, organized a clothing drive for foster children and worked with friends to clean the Reedy River.
Now, in addition to a part-time job selling pre-owned cars, he’s involved in Clemson’s Central Spirit and the Muslim Students Association and trying out for the lacrosse team. By working part time and qualifying for this and other scholarships, he hopes to leave college debt free.
The Margaret and Jack Paylor Family Scholarship Fund was created to provide financial assistance for higher education attainment to economically disadvantaged students residing in Greenville County and planning to attend a South Carolina public college or university. It’s one of nine-such funds established by individuals and organizations through the Community Foundation of Greenville. CFG disburses scholarships annually according to guidelines set up by the donors, and manages the investment of the funds so that their gifts continue to support local students for years to come.
“We are proud to be a part of making higher education more attainable for deserving students, like Abdullah, while honoring our donors’ wishes,” said Debbie Cooper, Community Foundation of Greenville director of community impact for grants and scholarships. “The Community Foundation of Greenville is excited to have two new scholarship funds available for the 2025 scholarship cycle that opens on March 1, 2025.”
To learn more, and see the full list of scholarship recipients, visit cfgreenville.org/grants-impact/scholarships.
