Alia Abdulahi is a confident young woman.

The 15-year-old sophomore at Edward Little High School in Auburn strives to be a role model and plans to “maybe become a senator or president,” she said.

She’s president of her sophomore class and keeps a full schedule. Her day is filled with honors classes, chemistry, Spanish, English, world history and the one that gives her fits, pre-calculus.

“I struggle with math,” she said, but vows “to get myself organized and try my hardest.”

“Always be looking forward,” Abdulahi advised.

“Both my mom and dad emphasize education,” Abdulahi said. “If dad catches me watching TV, he will say, ‘You know what I did when I was a kid. I sat in the library for hours,'” Abdulahi said with a smile. “Education is very important to my dad.”

Abdulahi was born in Atlanta and moved to Lewiston when she was 6 years old. She said it is “tough” to hold onto her Somali heritage while trying to fit into the America mainstream. Somali youth struggle with identity crisis, she said.

“Who am I?” is the question that Somali youth often ask themselves, she said. “I believe that before you can adapt to American culture, you must be aware of who you are first,” she said.

To help youths adapt, Abdulahi is in the early stages of starting a Somali youth organization. 

She keeps up to date on what is happening in Somalia through the Internet. A  large part of her culture has been passed down through family.

“Somalis have a strong tradition of passing down stories and memories,” she said. “I learn a lot through my parents, and my grandmother is always talking.”

Abdulahi has had no problems fitting in among her American classmates.

“Her warmth and genuineness make her a friend to many,” Assistant Principal Leslie Morrill said.

Abdulahi is on the ELHS mock trial team, the speech and debate team, a leader for the school’s Unity Project and is the student representative for the Auburn School Committee.

As president of the sophomore class, she has been raising funds for the 2012 prom and senior trip. “Alia is a leader and a true spokesperson for her peers,”  Morrill said.  

Abdulahi credits her parents for her strong leadership skills, especially her mother Farhiya. “My grandmother and mom have shaped me to be the strong woman that I am today,” she said.

“She’s amazing. She does something each and every day that makes me respect her,” Abdulahi said of her mother. “We (siblings) would not be where we are without her at all.”

Abdulahi is one of seven children. She helps care for her younger siblings when she gets home from school. “I’m trying to be a good role model for them,” she said.

“She (Abdulahi) is truly an outstanding young woman who continues to make our school a better place for all,” Morrill said.