Through one daunting experience after another, Lyla’s grit, determination and a scholarship help fulfill her educational dream.
High School: Suncoast Community High School
As the eldest daughter of two immigrants (her dad immigrated from Egypt and her mom from Ireland), Lyla Ibrahim was on her own with no frame of reference for how to navigate the college application process. “It was quite confusing and scary for me,” she said.
With two siblings and parents with severe medical conditions, figuring out how to pay for her college education also fell on Lyla’s shoulders. All of this while still managing to work two or three jobs throughout high school to help support her family.
It was a daunting experience. After submitting applications to a number of colleges, she eventually committed to one after being waitlisted to eight others. And then things got interesting. One week before her high school graduation, she learned that she was taken off the waitlist and accepted into Stanford.
“That’s when everything changed,” she said. “At first I was scared I would not be able to afford Stanford.” Average annual tuition and fees at the prestigious, private research university are more than $58,000. On top of the hefty price tag, Lyla was also apprehensive about packing up everything and moving across the country so far away from her family and friends.
However, Lyla knew that attending Stanford was the opportunity of a lifetime and one that she could not pass up. She began looking into other funding resources, which led her to the Community Foundation’s Barrat Family Scholarship, ultimately fulfilling her higher education dream.
Thanks to the Barrat family’s generous support and partnership with the Community Foundation, Lyla will be entering her sophomore year at the famed California institution this fall.
So far, Lyla has been making the most of her Stanford experience:
- She participated in TreeHacks, Stanford’s premier hackathon, where the country’s brightest engineering students are flown to Stanford’s campus to build solutions to the world’s largest challenges for 36 hours straight;
- Worked on international relations issues through the Women in National Security program at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation;
- Toured the local FBI offices;
- Visited the Google wing, a drone delivery company, and conducted research with the Aerospace Engineering department on plane spoofing attacks;
- And is also involved with the Women in Computer Science Club, Orthodox Christian Campus Ministries Club, and the Irish Student Association.
Lyla’s work ethic, perseverance and willingness to venture outside her comfort zone continue to pay off. This summer, she received an internship position at NextEra Energy, the parent company of Florida Power and Light, where she was part of the Restoration Spatial View team focused on the power distribution grid.
As her educational journey continues, Lyla is grateful for all the doors her scholarship has helped open and looks ahead with eager excitement.
“I am so thankful for the partnership the Barrats have with the Community Foundation and the support they have provided,” she said.
