Bella Chen

Facing a health challenge early in high school, senior class president Mohammad Nasrallah now applies that perseverance to his role and his balance with basketball.

“I wanted to help my own grade get the best senior-year experience possible,” said senior Mohammad Nasrallah, who currently serves as senior class president. After months of being in the role, Mohammad spoke to The Classic about what motivated him to seek the position and what he hopes to accomplish.

Mohammad said that before running for this office he constantly heard “voices, opinions, and ideas of different groups of people every day.” After serving as a student union executive-at-large, he thought it was time to seek out a larger role.

He also wanted to show, he said, that as a dedicated member of the boys varsity basketball team, he could take on a student government leadership role.

“At a school that takes pride in its academic excellence, that same pride doesn’t always show up when it comes to sports,” he said. “I hoped to send other student-athletes the message that you don’t have to fit a certain image or have your identity defined solely by student advocacy to run for these positions.”

Teachers praised Mohammad’s leadership. Blayne Gelbman, social studies teacher and athletic director said, “as the athletic director, I find him to be serious, dedicated to both his teams and to the student union.”

Jaime Baranoff, social studies teacher and student activities coordinator, highlighted Mohammad’s efforts to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. “He prioritized putting together a diverse senior council with lots of different people from lots of different friend groups,” she said.

Junior class president Jordana Lo said, “If someone did not know Mohammad, I would want them to know that they can go to him for support and questions, as he is an outstanding member of the Townsend Harris student body.”

Mohammad got his first experience as senior president while watching the outgoing SU leaders graduate last June.

“It was really cool being able to watch the ceremony from the stage and seeing everything that goes into planning and executing a graduation behind the scenes. The whole experience was really wholesome, and definitely gave me some ideas of what I want the Class of 2026’s graduation to look like at the end of the year,” he said.

Balancing his role as president with basketball is a central part of Mohammad’s life, he said. He began playing at eight and says the sport gives him focus and peace.

“Basketball is how I reward myself for staying the course. It’s also a way for me to recharge and get myself in the right headspace after school and on weekends before entering another period of work. There’s just something so therapeutic about seeing the ball go through the net, whether you’re playing pick-up with friends or working on your game alone doing drills,” he said

Mohammad discussed his experience with epilepsy, which he said has shaped his high school experience. “I’m epileptic, and the worst of it hit my freshman year. Two weeks into school, I had a seizure outside on the QC track field while running my first PE class mile. That set me up for a rocky start to high school,” he said.

Even after being medically cleared, he struggled to earn playing time in basketball during his freshmen and sophomore years. “I barely touched the court for the entirety of my freshmen and sophomore seasons. To be quite honest, I didn’t even trust myself on a basketball court anymore, which was heart shattering because basketball was all I knew.”

These challenges have taught Mohammad perseverance and the importance of self care.

“It also takes some sacrifice, whether that means missing out on fun, all-nighter events like Witching Hour or skipping hangouts with friends whenever roller coasters are involved,” he said

Reflecting on his time as the senior class president, Mohammad said he hopes to be remembered as a team player who brought the school community closer together. “Whether people like me in the end or not, I hope they see that as president, I was a team player, who took risks and challenged norms with the sole intention of bringing our school community closer together,” he said.