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Stories Differ, Goals the Same
Central High School graduating senior and scholarship winner Komi Akoumany waits his turn to meet University of Maryland President C.D. Mote Jr.
(By Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)
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The Akoumany family fits no one's definition of privileged. Akoumany's mother, Afiavi, is a house cleaner. His father, who manages a Sbarro restaurant in a local mall, groped for an analogy to explain his reaction to his son's scholarship. "Maybe lottery," Dovi Akoumany said. "Maybe Powerball. Now, I'm still dreaming."
He stood behind rows of chairs to capture the event with a camcorder.
Tyson came with his mother, Tonia Robinson; his 11-year-old brother, Ronald; his 8-year-old sister, Tajah; and a jubilant grandmother. As the winners were introduced, a university official said Tyson proved "invaluable to his mom" over the years by caring for his younger siblings while she was at work.
"I do it so much I don't see it as 'baby-sitting,' " Tyson said afterward. "It's not a burden to me at all. I'm responsible."
Central High benefited this year from a foul-up at another school. It was given a second scholarship slot after Potomac High in Oxon Hill failed to meet program requirements for reasons that are unclear. The other winners were DeAngela Boone of Fairmont Heights, Maria Vasquez of Northwestern and Kareem Shakoor of Suitland.
At Central, near the Addison Road Metro station, Tyson and Akoumany are described as solid achievers in a graduating class of about 225 students. Tyson's grade-point average is about 3.1; Akoumany's is above 3.4. Akoumany is taking Advanced Placement calculus and is the campus computer fix-it man. He learned English from scratch when he came to the United States in seventh grade. He plans to study computer science. Tyson has earned credits at Prince George's Community College and is a trusted aide in the guidance office and gymnasium. He plans to become a psychiatrist.
Both students said they had not thought much about College Park until a friend and a counselor persuaded them to attend an assembly in October to hear about a scholarship for students who had overcome obstacles. "When I heard this, it clicked in," Akoumany said. "It could be me."
Tyson's reaction in March when he heard who had been chosen from among five students nominated at the school: "I was speechless." But his teachers whooped.
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