There are over 3,000 students that walk through the halls of Battlefield High School every day. Every face has its own story, its own personality, and its own dreams. Karim Said (SAYEED) is one of these faces. “My name is Karim Said. I am 15 years old, and I am a Battlefield Bobcat.”

Said was born in July of 2001 in Cairo, Egypt, where he lived until he was 13 years old. “Living in Egypt is like living in New York City. There are people in the streets until maybe two or three in the morning,” says Said. He moved to the United States in 2013 when his father was offered a job. “The coolest thing I remember about Egypt was the media. At one point I actually got on Egyptian television and in a newspaper in Sweden.” Said is referring to his former team’s success in the game of handball.

“When I lived in Egypt I was on a youth travel handball team [just like travel soccer teams in Virginia]. My team went on to national championships where we won, advanced, and got to play in other countries.” Said’s team not only finished first in the Youth Denmark National Handball Championship, but they also finished 2nd in the Swedish National Tournament.

Although Said really enjoys handball, coming to America has opened the door for many other activities that he has found interest in. “I really enjoy the science classes offered here. I love doing labs and watching chemical reactions occur,” states Said. “The languages programs offered here are great as well.” Said is fluent in English and Arabic, and he is currently learning to be conversational in French and Spanish.

At Battlefield, Said is a member of SCA, Medical Club, Cross Country, and JV Basketball. “Basketball is a big passion of mine. I want to be the MVP of my generation, but I’m taking it all one step at a time.” Said says that he wants to throw down his first dunk by this September and make the varsity basketball team by November. “Hopefully if I work hard enough I can get scouted for college and from there go to the NBA,” added Said. One of Said’s main goals is to bring back Battlefield’s first basketball state championship, but he knows he will have to work hard. “In my free time, I really just work on my game. I started playing in eighth grade so I have to work to make up on all the lost time. Some of the people I play with have been playing since they were four or five.”

When asked about who pushes him to do his best whenever he’s on the court, Said says, “I would give it to my coaches here at Battlefield. They always try to push me and I really appreciate that. I want to break records, and with their support I can keep improving.” Unlike many other players who would want to score 1,000 career points during high school, Said’s goal is to reach 500 assists. “I want to be a team player,” Said adds, “assists and rebounds lead to points.”

Self-proclaimed “Karim the Dream,” plans to keep working on his skills not only on the court, but in the classroom. Said enjoys all the support he gets and will continue to be a proud member of Bobcat Nation as he plans to run for Class of 2019 President.