ALEXANDRIA, VA – When Alexandria native Hadi Kamara learned that he had been selected as one of only 32 Rhodes Scholars in the United States, the first call he made was to his mother. According to Princeton University, Hadi yelled into the phone, “Mom, I won! I’m a Rhodes Scholar!” Her response was steady, emotional, and unwavering: “I had no doubt at all that you would win. I’m so proud of you.”
For Kamara — who once graduated from high school with a 2.08 GPA — that moment marked the culmination of a journey defined by grit, reinvention, and a mother’s steadfast belief.
A Rocky Beginning That Led to the U.S. Air Force
As first locally reported by NBC4 Washington, Kamara finished high school in 2019 feeling directionless and dissatisfied with his academic performance. Determined to rewrite his future, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as a C-130 crew chief responsible for aircraft safety and maintenance.
The rigorous environment demanded precision and discipline. He later reflected that in military aviation, “You can’t be undisciplined… A lack of performance puts other people in danger,” a sentiment he shared in interviews recounted by The Daily Princetonian…