Abdiaziz is, without doubt, the face of Ashland Middle School. Bubba, as he is known to many, is our Student Advocate, and since 1997 he has dedicated himself to the well-being of AMS students. “My job is to make sure every kid has a great day at school. Every kid has challenges and we often don’t know what they are until you get to know them. It gives me energy seeing kids blossom into their best selves.”
Born in Somalia, Abdiaziz likes to say Ashland ‘found me.’ In the 90's while playing for the Somali National Basketball Team, the SOU basketball coach approached him and offered him an opportunity to become a student and play basketball at SOU. It was during his time as an SOU student that he first connected with AMS; Abdiaziz was asked to come speak to Candy Gregos’ class about life in Somalia (and if you’ve ever had the pleasure to spend time with Abdiaziz, you know he has many spell-binding tales of growing up there). It was through Candy’s class that he met his wife, Mary.
Now, in addition to being the AMS Student Advocate, Abdiaziz coaches the boys’ soccer team at AHS and mentors the leadership group here at AMS. In all his endeavors, Abdiaziz strives to expand students’ capacity for taking on leadership roles and helping them feel more connected to school. We’re lucky to have him here at AMS!