Senior Spotlight: Laila Mohamad
Laila Mohamad’s senior portrait. She is very happy to graduate soon.
January 18, 2023
Laila Mohamad is the creative backbone of our school, yet many do not know how much work she has done for JFKMHS. Laila has been a part of the “Home of the Mustangs” mural in the hallway to the gym, the Pride mural in the art hallway, and took over set design for the fall and spring play. We see what Laila has created all around the school, but she hasn’t gotten her credit; The Torch believes it is now her time in the spotlight.
How do you balance being a student, a bunny mom, an AMC employee, an active member of the community, and a friend?
It gets hard sometimes but I like to manage my time. Especially taking care of my bunny [Ruby], it’s not just about cleaning and feeding her, it’s about giving her attention. It’s fun though, I have my school life and my home life. I get everything I can do at school and everything I can do at home.
Describe your high school experience in 3 words and explain why?
The first word I would say was “short” because in my freshman year, I was only here for like a semester. Then online school for like a year and a half. It came back and it wasn’t like fun high school anymore, I had to think about college. I felt like I stepped into a time machine.
[Second word] “Fun”, I got to learn a lot of stuff like graphic design and photography. I did a lot of art stuff like some murals in the halls. I started the ‘excuse the interruption’ thing so that was fun. We did the set for the play. That was my first time doing something for the play. Like I remember watching it my freshman year, I thought it was cool so I wanted to do it.
[Third word] “Bittersweet”, because as fun as the art stuff was, some classes were really hard. I suck at math, any type of math class is not for me.
You’ve done the mustang mural by the gym, the pride mural hallway, set design… how does it feel having so much of your work in the school?
I feel proud, especially about the mustang mural. I have my name, my handprint, and the year I graduate next to it. Even after I graduate, part of me is gonna be there. And I’m going to have little cousins that are coming here, so that’s exciting for me to tell them, like “Hey, go check out this hallway” because I did this.
Being such a hardworking woman. What do you do for fun?
I hang out with my friends, I like to do cute little things like last-minute things, you know what I mean? Me and my friends have cute little picnic dates or little target runs.
Your culture is a big part of who you are. Where are you from and whats it like?
I’m from Egypt. I like to see family. And they have really nice beaches and resorts there. So that’s really cool, it’s not all pyramids and camels.
Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
Not in New Jersey. I see myself going to a different state. I definitely want to travel. I want to do something in communication design and graphic design.
Are you ready for our summer road trip to Colorado?
You [Licey] don’t know how to drive.
What is something every high school student must do before graduation?
You have to go to at least one football game. Even though we lose a lot. It’s the environment, and the marching band is so good. Shoutout to the drum major Tariq Ali.
What are you going to do this summer after graduation?
This summer I plan to go to Colorado with my friend who doesn’t have a license [Licey]. We have to drive 28 hours. It’s her dream, so I’m going to take her.
What regrets do you have about your high school career?
I regret not doing more during my online time of high school, I could have done so much. I had all this time to just try new things. I took the time as just me-time. But I do miss doing nothing.
