Abdullah is the first TADA-alumnus at university

Abdullah Amezian was one of the first TADA pupils. Today, at the age of seventeen, he is one of the youngest students of applied economics at the VUB. And his first semester was a big success. 

Abdullah grew up near the Maximilian Park. He doesn’t come from a wealthy family. “It wasn’t exactly written in the stars that I would go to university”, he explains. “The neighborhood where I come from, is a very closed environment. We don’t often mingle.” 

From the fifth year of primary school onwards, on top of traditional education, Abdullah starts going to TADA’s weekend school. “It is the biggest boost I received in my entire life. I have met countless passionate professionals who came to share their experience with us, like Guy Verhofstadt.”

“It opened my eyes”, Abdullah continues. “I wanted to be a football player, but at TADA I realized that was not for me. I also became conscious of the fact that in life, you need to seize opportunities when they present themselves.”

When he is in the fifth year of primary school, Abdullah’s teachers propose him to go to high school immediately. “It was easy for me in school, but I wasn’t too sure about skipping a year. There was always something that stopped me. I told myself: no, I want to stay with my friends. But TADA pushed me to do it anyway and until today I don’t regret it!” 

At the moment, Abdullah studies applied economics at the VUB. “I would like to work in finance, travel and discover different cultures”, he muses. 

“Studies don’t have anything to do with intelligence”, Abdullah continues. “It is a matter of discipline, going for it, contacting the right people and knowing when you need to work and when you need to relax. In life, you mostly need to be able to plan”, the undergrad concludes. 

Abdullah recently told his story to La Dernière Heure as well. “I believe that the people surrounding us determine to a large extent who we are: if you are surrounded by good people, you make sure you are a good person yourself as well”, he says. Read his interview here.