Guilford County Schools graduate Ziad Ali, son of Ahmed Ali and Rasha Arafa from Oak Ridge, is one of only a few students from around the country to receive N.C. State University’s Park Scholarship.

Ali, graduated from the Early College at Guilford where he was president of the Guilford Model Congress and captain of the state champion Quiz Bowl team.  He also worked as a referee for the Kernersville Soccer Association, volunteers at Northwest Middle and won Best Delegate Award at Harvard Model Congress.

Ali was one of about 40 students selected from a record 1,800 applicants for the scholarship, which brings exceptional students to N.C. State University based on outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service and character. The four-year program develops and supports Park Scholars in those areas, preparing them for lifelong contributions to the campus, state, nation and world.

Ali plans to major in engineering when he attends the university this fall.

This is just one of the many prestigious scholarship awards GCS students received this year. In all, the class of 2015 earned more than $156 million in scholarships, a new record for GCS.