Ahmed Mohamed, Teen Arrested For Building A Clock, Was Just Offered A $250K Scholarship By Bitcoin Exec

Ahmed_Fenton


Earlier this week, news of a 14-year-old being arrested for making a clock which he constructed to impress his engineering teacher went viral. The teen, who has a passion of inventing and robotics, was arrested on Monday for making a “hoax bomb” – despite his continued protests that it was just a clock.

Everyone from the President of the United States to Mark Zuckerberg had something to say about it, and it’s safe to say most people were – and probably still are – PO’d about the treatment he received.

One of those individuals is Bruce Fenton, executive director of the Bitcoin Foundation. After reading about Ahmed Mohamed’s treatment, he took to Facebook to announce to the more than 100,000 people that follow him that he would like to donate $50,000 in tuition for Mohamed to attend the prestigious Wilbraham & Monson Academy. The academy boasts a strong history of inclusion, as its chapel was even once used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

It was only two hours later that Fenton went a step further and offered an additional $200,000 for Mohamed’s education.

Tweet

He wrote:

“Looks like we can offer more like $250,000 if Ahmed wants to attend leading prep school Wilbraham Monson instead of Irving TX school. Please let his parents know. #IstandwithAhmed

AddictingInfo jumped on the opportunity to learn more about Fenton and his massively generous offer. The site relays that Fenton is a traveler with a passion to bridge cultural gaps and help increase understanding. His feedback on the incident follows:

“I felt at the same time that this is sadly typical and also that this does not represent the country I know and love.  We can do better as Americans and better as human beings.”

In regards to the generous offer, he said:

“I thought that it might be awkward for Ahmed to return to the public school in Irving, then I realized that he doesn’t have to go back at all, I and others can help make a new reality for him.  He doesn’t need to ever set foot in that school again, he can move forward and do better than ever.”

The alum of Wilbraham Monson Academy didn’t need to think long about where he would like to offer the scholarship. According to him, the school “is the type of place that future leaders go to school.  You gain a special depth and experience that’s hard to match.  I think it can be a life-transforming experience.”

No response has yet been reported from Muhamed’s family, who is likely overwhelmed by the generous support. Still, what an amazing gift. 

The negative incident has turned into an incredibly positive campaign. Those who were outraged by the treatment Ahmed received quickly flooded social media with the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed. Would he have received different treatment if he was of a different color and had a different name? It shouldn’t matter, and the support he’s receiving is evidence enough that most people agree. 

Share this positive news and comment your thoughts below. 


This article (Ahmed Mohamed, Teen Arrested For Building A Clock, Was Just Offered A $250K Scholarship By Bitcoin Exec) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com

Popular on True Activist