For Loujain Ahmed, community college was never a stepping stone — it was a launch pad. The 20-year-old West Philadelphia native is set to earn her Associate of Science in Physical Sciences from Montgomery County Community College this spring, and she’ll do it with one final distinction: delivering the student address at Commencement on May 14.
“It feels crazy,” Ahmed said of being chosen. “I submitted the application on the last day it was due. It feels like a full-circle moment for my time at Montco. I feel really proud.”
Why She Chose Montco
Ahmed’s path to MCCC began when she and her family relocated to Philadelphia in the fall 2023. She was searching for a community college with a strong STEM program — and one campus visit made the decision easy.
“On the car ride home,” she recalled, “I told my dad that’s where I was going.” The draw? The observatory is perched atop the Blue Bell Campus’s Advanced Technology Center. For a lifelong lover of science, it was love at first sight.
A Schedule That Would Exhaust Most People
Ahmed didn’t just attend Montco; she showed up fully, every single day. Her routine was relentless: on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she was up by 6:00 AM, catching an 8:00 AM train to Norristown and the SEPTA 96 bus to Blue Bell for a 10:00 AM class. After coursework wrapped at 2:00 PM, she squeezed in extracurriculars, then did homework on the commute home — arriving back by 11:00 PM.
Tuesdays and Thursdays looked even more demanding. A 4:00 AM alarm sent her across the county to MCCC’s Pottstown Campus for a paid internship at the Challenger Learning Center.
“I got a lot of sleep on the bus; the bus drivers would wake me up at the end of the line,” she said, laughing. “I did that schedule for two years.”
A Campus Leader in Every Sense
Between classes and commutes, Ahmed poured herself into campus life. She served as president of the Student Government Association, Astro Club, and Muslim Students Association, and as vice president of the Debate Club. She also participated in the International Club and hosted a segment on Montco Radio called Heart to Headphones.
Her academic record matched her leadership: she earned placement on the Dean’s List in 2024 and the Dean’s Commendation List in both 2024 and 2025, and was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students. She also served on the President’s Advisory Council on Equity and Social Justice and the President’s Leadership Council — and was even selected as a campus tour guide during MCCC’s Middle States Commission reaccreditation visit.
“Loujain has been a phenomenal student leader,” said Tyler Steffy, Director of Student Life. “She displayed incredible persistence in overcoming obstacles and led multiple clubs that created a safe community for many students. Through servant-first leadership, she was continually looking to improve the lives of others. I am so proud of everything she has accomplished here at Montco.”
Reaching for the Stars — Literally
Ahmed’s passion for astrophysics moved well beyond the classroom. Through an Observational and Radio Astronomy independent study with Physics Associate Professor Kelli Corrado, she helped build horn radio telescopes and researched the Crab Pulsar. A highlight came when she traveled to the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia to conduct hands-on radio astronomy research.
At the Challenger Learning Center, she facilitated space mission simulations for elementary and middle school students and discovered something new about herself in the process.
“It unlocked a realization that I enjoy teaching younger students,” she said. “The independent study gave me hands-on research and helped me see this is what I want to do forever.”
Ahmed is a recipient of the STARS-UP (Students Teams Astrophysics Researchers — Undergraduate Pathways) grant, which creates direct pathways for community college students to pursue astrophysics and astronomy at four-year institutions. She has also received the Thompson Family Scholarship and the PC4A Grant through the U.S. Department of Defense. Her community engagement extends further still: she has volunteered as a science camp counselor with Janet’s Planet Astronaut Academy, served as an Odyssey of the Mind judge, and facilitated workshops with the AAUW Lansdale Branch’s annual Discover Your Future event.
“Loujain was a wonderful intern — regularly positive and joyful,” said Anjuli Aker and Annalise Giuliani of the Challenger Learning Center. “She was truly invaluable to our day-to-day operations. We are incredibly proud of her for being selected as Commencement Speaker — though not at all surprised. We can’t wait to see what she achieves next.”
What Comes Next
Ahmed transferred to Temple University in the fall of 2025, where she’s studying Physics with a minor in Astrophysics. She plans to pursue graduate studies and continue research in the field.
As she drafted her commencement speech, Ahmed knew exactly what she wanted her classmates to take away.
“The biggest theme of my speech is community,” she said. “The transformative power of community.”
It’s a fitting message from someone who built one everywhere she went — and proved that with the right people beside you, not even the sky is the limit.
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