EDGEWATER — Shayann Siddiqui isn't your typical high school senior.
When he comes home from school, his parents aren't there to remind him to do his homework or tend to household chores — they're more than 7,000 miles away living in the United Arab Emirates.
Siddiqui, an 18-year-old Rogers Park resident and soon-to-be senior at Senn High School, has lived with his older brother (who graduated from Senn last year) in Rogers Park for about 2½ years as the pair finishes out their education.
The brothers were originally born in the U.S., but have traveled around the world with their family, including living in the UAE, before their parents sent them back to the States to focus on school.
Since moving into the Far North Side, Siddiqui has been creating a new family of his own: his community.
"I always thought that a community should always be engaged with each other, be very active, and I saw that it wasn't [Edgewater] wasn't as bright as it could be," Siddiqui said. "That drove me to participate in all these community projects so that hopefully we can brighten the community and get a chance so people can meet each other."
As a student leader, he helped organize and create murals at the Edgewater Whole Foods and Swift and Swift Elementary School, planter boxes outside Senn for its community garden and organized beach cleanup days in the fall.
"I meet people every day who tell me how much they like and enjoy looking at those murals, and that just really makes me feel proud for what I've done for the community," he said. "I also a heard a story that people started going out more just because the community looks so lovely now."
For those efforts, he's been awarded an eight-week paid scholarship with Working In The Schools, a tutoring and mentoring program where Siddiqui helps kindergarten-age children how to read and express creativity through theater and games.
The internship is part of Bank of America's Student Leader program, which included five students from Chicago as 2016 winners, including Siddiqui.
As part of his trip, Siddiqui also gets a trip to Washington, D.C., where he'll meet 200-250 other recipients of the award from across the country.
Looking ahead, Siddiqui said he's not entirely sure what he wants to do as a career yet, but said he'd like to continue going to school in the U.S. and see where his path takes him.
"It's such a great opportunity," Siddiqui said. "We get to meet new people, we get to build our own networks, we get to make new friendships and have some great experiences."
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