KARIM ALI-KHAN:  

School Throughout my primary and secondary education there were several teachers that were inspirational, however only two that played a pivotal role in assisting in my overall development. At Hawthorne Ave it was my 8th grade teacher Mr. Harry Wheeler who would also endeavor in an unsuccessful bid to become the City of Newark first African American mayor. During high school my favorite teacher and role model was Mr. Thomas Benjamin. Not only did this educator provide excellent instructions, he coupled the lessons with an empirical approach. College My academic background includes a number of colleges prior to successfully completing a degree program in 2005. My academic quest has taken me from Essex County Community College to the long closed Upsala College; several military schools and finally on to Columbia Southern U. I have a streak of cynicism in me about graduations. Almost up to the last minute, I had not made a final decision about attending my college graduation. In my viewpoint it was totally pointless. For me it was just a ceremony, and as far as I was concerned they could simply mail my diploma. My parents, however, had quite a different idea about graduation, and in the end, I went. Now I think I have a better sense of why it's important to mark the milestones. I celebrated all of my graduations with my friends and family as a small group, ...Expand for more