How Far Zohran Mamdani Really Got In School
Zohran Mamdani, the future NYC mayor, doesn't boast an Ivy League degree or a private high school education, but rather a schooling history deeply rooted in the city of New York. Moving to the state at the age of 7 from Uganda, Mamdani's family settled in the Big Apple, which would become the backdrop to the future politician's childhood. A fresh face in the big city, Mamdani found a smaller pond in the private elementary school, Bank Street School for Children, that he attended between the ages of 8 and 15. After grade school, Mamdani moved on to the elite public high school: Bronx High School of Science.
During his education as a teen, Mamdani busied himself with an activity that would lay the groundwork for his 2025 career: Campaigning. The young New Yorker had a particular love for the game of cricket, a sport that remained on the outskirts of recognized sports in his city. He and a group of friends fought to bring the sport to the school ... to no avail, but the experience loudened a voice within Mamdani. "It was one of the moments that taught me the power of organizing," (via The New York Times) the mayor-elect revealed, "and how to change your reality." He graduated in 2010 and left New York for Maine, enrolling in Bowdoin College out of state to study Africana Studies with a minor in government. In 2014, he graduated and began his role in government just a few years later as an Assemblymember.
Those who knew Mamdani in school were not surprised by his groundbreaking mayoral election
As the mayor-elect has shown through his campaign and subsequent election, he has a character and charm to him that leaves people rooting for him. The phenomenon, if not seen through his campaign, can be best seen through former Bronx High School of Science classmate Phillip Sideroglou's depiction of the politician. "He had that kind of connection with so many different groups," he told Greek Reporter, "Seeing his transition now from New York State Assemblyman to Mayor, in hindsight, makes perfect sense to me." But it wasn't just Siderogluo who would sing Mamdani's praises.
The former Assemblyman's professor from Bowdoin College would remark to Bowdoin Orient, "I would say Mamdani ... is the best of us." A sentiment further encouraged through Mamdani's old advisor from the college, who said, "He's someone who can take unpopular positions but not annoy everybody. I mean, people will disagree with it. But he's kind of magnetic. He's a great person to sometimes stake out a hard place in a conversation," (via KOMO News). Though this applause for the mayor-elect should come as no surprise, given Mamdani's ability to swoon even his enemy, Donald Trump, who, after a meeting with Mamdani, praised him for his vision for the future of New York.