by Levi Brandenburg
The Paducah Sun
November 1, 2022
Used with permission.
Paducah Tilghman High School senior Aneeza Ali seeks to become an attorney one day and help give other people “opportunities they might not have.”
“I would describe myself as somebody who is really passionate about certain things,” Ali said. “I’m a big person for social justice and things like that. So I think that I’m very confident when I need to be, but also kind of reserved and to myself.”
In addition to maintaining excellent grades in her time at Paducah Tilghman, the 17-year-old student has been involved in soccer, the school orchestra and speech team, has chaired in violin for Kentucky All-State Orchestra, and much more. Ali has been a member of the school’s varsity girls soccer team since 2019, with her efforts receiving honors.
“Honestly, it’s been a struggle, but it’s been a really big learning process,” Ali said. “I think like sports are honestly a lot about mental health and things like that because that affects your ability to play. All the people on that team are like my family.”
Ali has played violin since she was four years old, leading to a talent that has granted her repeated awards over her time.
“Honestly, my parents really pushed me to play at first, but once I hit middle school, I hooked to it,” she said. “Now I’ve reached high school and I am concertmaster for my orchestra. I help teach my section. But violin has been a passion of mine for a long time and I’m honestly really proud of it because it’s something I have been consistent with and it’s given me a lot of leadership and responsibility because as a concertmaster, I’m kind of expected to know how to play the music.”
Concertmaster, typically first chair of the violin section, is the second highest-ranking leadership member of an orchestra only behind the conductor.
“Currently, I’m working on a really hard one called the Brandenburg #5,” Ali said. “Overall, it’s honestly taught me how to juggle everything at the same time because I’m in so so many extracurriculars.”
Ali also serves as vice president of the Student Equity and Advisory Council, an elected position where she represents her fellow students and friends.
“The Student Equity and Advisory Council was a council that was formed last year,” Ali said. “Students always have teachers and adults making our decision for us and having a student representative or student body is really important whenever you’re trying to make decisions about changing the school system because you want the students perspective too.”
Ali has plans to pursue a degree in pre-law, largely in part due to her speech and debate team experiences. She joined her middle school speech and debate team originally.
“That sparked from my interest in the speech and debate team and my passion for public speaking,” Ali said. “I got really interested in becoming a lawyer. I interned with Keuler, Kelly, Hutchins, Blankenship & Sigler over the summer and have plans to work with American Civil Liberties Union.”
Ali, daughter of Drs. Shaukat and Amna Ali of Paducah, is this week’s Murray State University Teen of the Week.
Each Tuesday, The Sun publishes articles on outstanding regional high school seniors. From the final 32 students chosen, one will be chosen as the Teen of the Year and receive a $5,000 scholarship, with a second student receiving the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.
As she moves on, Ali wants to help those around her first.
“Being a part of the equity advisors helped me have a more public service and social justice view,” Ali said. “I really just want to help people and give people opportunities that they might not have. Because I’m a believer that everybody doesn’t have equal opportunities. If I can play a part in society where I can give them an opportunity, I want to be a part of it.”