Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Coordinator
Athens High School senior Walt Mahmoud is a triple threat: academic standout, soccer player, powerlifter. He not only sets the bar high, he benches it at 260 pounds.
Mahmoud’s senior year is a laundry list of accomplishments. To name just a few: All-State Academic Soccer Elite Team member, UIL academic regional qualifier, soccer captain, state powerlifting qualifier and, most recently, KTBB Scholastic All-Star Team member. He’s also ranked in the top 10 of his class.
“Walt is a natural-born leader,” said Athens High School math and French teacher Ken Walker. Walker has coached Mahmoud on the math team for four years. “He’s confident and extroverted, which made him the perfect person to make new members of the math team feel welcomed. He has good insight into math, science and mechanics. He tries to see the big picture and learn conceptually, not just to memorize processes. This makes him a good problem solver, which in turn makes him a natural leader.”
Mahmoud’s success on the math team helped place him in a perfect position to pursue his interest in engineering. He’s been a member of the district champion calculator applications team for three consecutive years, which is a necessary skillset for a pre-engineering test. Mahmoud will be attending Texas A&M University in the fall, where he plans to study physics and perhaps pursue a career in aerospace engineering. The focus may change, he said, but the general field won’t. “I”ve always had a passion for calculus, physics and math,” he noted. “When I get my inspiration, I’ll be in the right area.”
Mahmoud’s high school successes have not been limited to academics. He has been a dedicated member of the soccer and powerlifting teams as well. Being a captain on the soccer team this year underscored the characteristics of a leader, he said. And in powerlifting, he set himself a goal to make it to the state level. That took drive and determination. “To make it to state in powerlifting,” he said, “I couldn’t take days off. You just can’t.”
“If I had to describe Walt, it would be as a tenacious competitor,” said powerlifting coach Craig Brown. “Some people may have more talent, but not a better work ethic. To make it to the state powerlifting meet, he had to balance soccer and academic meets. But he never wavered in the pursuit of his goals. When you add in the fact that he has a hilarious personality, he has been a joy to coach for the last four years.”
The tenacity Brown speaks of was instilled in Mahmoud by his parents — Wally and Jennie Mahmoud — and a family history of achievement.
“My parents have always had high expectations of me,” said Mahmoud. He noted that his paternal grandfather came to the United States from Egypt, leaving everything behind, and earned a PhD in metallurgy, and his maternal grandparents have also been excellent models for honesty, hard work and dedication.
“It’s tiring to study all the time and stay on top of your grades,” he said, “but it’s well worth it. … It made getting into college less difficult because I’ve been preparing myself all these years.”