Computer science is one of the most used skills in our daily lives. It has allowed for our world to grow immensely over the past 40 years, making it more important than ever for our survival.
Highland senior Ali Jadallah is shining in the field of computer technology.
“I’m big into computers; it’s what I’ve been doing throughout all of high school so far,” Jadallah said.
Jadallah’s passion for computer science comes from his love for math, which is a skill heavily used when handling computers. His creativity also improves his passion even further.
“I like being creative, and I think computing, and like programing, and cybersecurity, just combines a bunch of things that I really like,” Jadallah said.
Jadallah is Highland’s 2024-25 Sterling Scholar award winner for the category of computer technology. Jadallah was also a semi-finalist for the statewide Sterling Scholar competition. He started by taking all of the programming classes that Highland has to offer which has improved his computer development knowledge even further. Last fall, Jadallah had an internship with the Salt Lake City Government’s IMS department that combined all the computer things he was working on.
“I kind of shadowed under their help desk there, which helped employees of the city that were having technical issues. I also did like inventory stuff and wiped and reset computer to get ready for their donation to different communities in need,” Jadallah said.
This internship helped Ali gain even more computer knowledge.
Jadallah’s years’ worth of knowledge has helped him become a source for anybody needing a website or app created.
“I had some people come to me recently to make websites for them, so I got paid to do that. I made websites for my dad, too,” Jadallah said.
Jadallah has become a great help a great help to his father, Ahmed Jadallah, with things in his professional life.
“In my personal and professional life, specialized computing is not part of our daily life or profession. However, when Ali is around, he can easily resolve any issue I face with hardware, software, etc,” Ahmed said.
Jadallah hasn’t made any apps on Apple’s App Store yet, but in his free time, Jadallah likes to create games using different engines like Skratch and Blender.
Outside of school, Jadallah runs track and cross country, representing Highland well. Jadallah is also an important figure in the school, joining a bunch of clubs, doing lots of volunteer work, and tutoring other students.
After high school, Jadallah has big plans. He is currently boasting a cumulative 4.0 GPA which, combined with his other accomplishments, will open up a lot doors for his future.
“I want to go to college in California and study computer science and go into the field of cybersecurity,” Jadallah said.
Jadallah’s success gives hope for a promising future. And his father will be watching with excitement to see where his son ends up.
“I’m extremely proud of him and excited for his future. I am sure he will break through in some sort of innovation, computing, cybersecurity, forensics, or even AI,” Ahmed said.
