Meet Charlestown Valedictorian Bilal Lafta

A big congratulations to Bilal Lafta, one of 37 Boston Public Schools valedictorians honored by the city this week.

Lafta was head of the class at Boston Community Leadership Academy and is a Charlestown resident.

Here's what the city and BPS had to say about him this week:

"Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Bilal is ambitious and hardworking as he has dreams of becoming a doctor someday. His home country was politically unstable and violently chaotic, making it difficult for his family to continue to live there. At the age of seven, his family was forced to separate and was sent to different refugee camps. Living with his father at a refugee camp, Bilal spent months without school, but his curiosity and passion for learning remained alive. He visited the local library to read as an escape from the harsh reality outside the library doors. Bilal's family was later reunited in Cairo, Egypt, where he lived for two years. Bilal and his family then immigrated to the United States, a place he can finally call home. He quickly learned English and performed exceptionally in his academic studies. A senior at Boston Community Leadership Academy, Bilal highly values community involvement and helping others to become leaders within their own community. Next fall, Bilal will study biomedical engineering at Brown University, where he hopes to make significant contributions to medical research."

>> Photo via City of Boston from BPS Annual Valedictorian Luncheon, held Tuesday at the Boston Harbor Hotel