Samir Abdelkhalek, age 18, has been a student member of AIFD since September 2010 and began participating as a core member of Muslim Liberty Project in March 2011. In March 2012, he joined AILC during a press conference in NYC to show support of NYPD’s counter-terrorism efforts, and attended the MLP retreat weekend in Phoenix AZ in April 2012. He recently accepted an offer to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

Samir is proud to be an American Muslim of diverse cultural heritage. His dad is an Egyptian-born American, and his mom is a 3rd generation Sicilian American.

Samir was inducted into the National Honor Society in May 2010. Throughout high school, he has enjoyed competitive team sports, including football, tennis and rifle and has been an active community volunteer at his local zoo, as a tutor in an elementary afterschool program and in the election campaign for his congressman. He received an elementary education in a Montessori School, followed by 3 years of junior high school at Miraj Islamic School and will be graduating St. Peter’s Boys HS scholarship program in June.

Since January 2009, Samir has served as the Cadet Chief Petty Officer in a unit of the USN Sea Cadet Corps., a Navy youth program that has afforded him the opportunity to train underway aboard US Navy and US Coast Guard ships and study seamanship during consecutive summers at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He also participated in two LeadAmerica 10-day conferences: Homeland Security, National Defense & Intelligence at Catholic University, Washington DC and Crime Scene Investigation & Forensic Evidence at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

Samir was one of only 28 candidates selected out of thousands to be flown to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to participate in their Diversity Program week in November 2011. In June 2011, he was selected to participate in the Leadership Seminar week at the U.S. Military Academy, and an American Legion Post sponsored Samir’s attendance at the annual NY BOYS STATE convention week at SUNY Morrisville. In July 2011, he was selected by his high school to be a representative during the annual Youth Assembly Week, a community outreach charity event hosted by LaSalle University, PA. In March 2012, he was again chosen to be his school delegate during an official function at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NY. Samir is the recipient of the following honors and awards: Navy League of the United States Cadet of the Year Gold Medal, Veterans of Foreign Wars Exceptional Leadership Citation & Silver Medal, Sons of the American Revolution Outstanding Citizenship Bronze Medal, USN Admiral’s Office of Naval Research Science Achievement Certificate.

Samir had several opportunities to choose from for his college and potential career paths. He received a Promise Fund Scholarship from New York University Polytechnic Institute, a Presidential Academic Scholarship from George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, a U.S. Army ROTC Scholarship to American University School of International Service and a U.S. Air Force ROTC Scholarship to any state university engineering program. He also received official appointments to all five federal service academies including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Samir has accepted an appointment to the Class of 2016 at the U.S. Military Academy, and will be joining the ‘long grey line’ at West Point NY in early July.