With a 4% acceptance rate, Stanford University is notoriously hard to get into—in fact, most years it's the most selective college in the country. Often referred to as the "Ivy of the West Coast," it's known for its strong science, technology, and engineering programs; and in part due to its location near Silicon Valley, Stanford has especially deep ties to the tech industry.

It's no surprise that so many students long to go to Stanford—including Noor Hassan, who is now a member of Stanford's Class of 2025! Noor is an alumna of our Paterson Youth Council leadership development program, an active participant at our Great Falls Youth Center, and a Student Ambassador at our Full Service Community School at John F. Kennedy Educational Complex, where she attends the STEM Academy.

Noor is thrilled to start Stanford this fall and grateful to NJCDC for providing her with so many opportunities that helped her grow into the exceptional young woman she is today. A member of the Paterson Youth Council's (PYC) Class of 2019, Noor credits the program with having a large impact on her—particularly the Ivy League Tour and trip to Washington, D.C. Noor said, "When we went to Harvard, Yale, and MIT—it was just amazing! It was so inspiring to look at the campuses, seeing them in person and hoping that one day you'll be on campus as a student there." Noor also remembers the trip to Washington, D.C.—which included tours of the Supreme Court Building and United States Botanic Garden and meetings with Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. and Veronica Duron, Legislative Director for Senator Cory Booker—fondly.

In addition to her participation in NJCDC programs, Noor is also a Co-Captain of her Robotics Team, an Upward Bound Student at Ramapo College, and an executive member of the Rutgers University Society of Minority Engineers, and has participated in the Montclair State University Journalism Program, the Unilever Leadership Development Institute, the Rutgers University Shadow Engineering Program, and the FDU Technical Outreach Program. Noor also received support from QuestBridge, which links high-achieving, low-income youth with leading colleges. In addition, First Lady Farhanna Balgahoom Sayegh connected Noor with a Private Prep scholarship for SAT and ACT prep and college coaching last year, which Noor found immensely helpful.

At Stanford, Noor is interested in majoring in Symbolic Systems, which integrates knowledge from diverse fields of study, including computer science, linguistics, math, philosophy, psychology, and statistics. Noor said, "Their Symbolic Systems program is one of the main reasons I was drawn to Stanford. There are so many different possible concentrations within it, including artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and decision making."

It's clear that Noor is an exceedingly dedicated student and has a bright future ahead of her. When asked what motivates her, especially during difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic, Noor said, "My family—my parents and siblings. I'm one of six—I have two older siblings and three younger. When I think about them, that's my motivation. I think of what my parents sacrificed as immigrants coming to America, and I want to do well in my career and make my family proud. I believe that nothing can stop you as long as you keep working hard and taking advantage of all the opportunities around you." While she was initially nervous about applying to Stanford, Noor said, "Ultimately, if you don't try, you're going to go through life thinking, "What if?" —and I think that's the most painful thing of all. "

Nicole Sweeney, Director of NJCDC's Full Service Community School at JFK said, "Noor has always been a stellar student since the moment I met her. I've enjoyed watching her brilliance, maturity, and love for service shine through as a JFK FSCS Student Ambassador. I know the world's future is bright and promising when students like Noor will become our future leaders for many generations to come. Congratulations and blessings, Noor!"