Jasim

Jasim Ali is nothing if not a diverse young man.  In his 15 years of life, he’s lived around the world, twice in Malaysia and travelled to Singapore, Vietnam and beyond. He is talented in the arts, academia and athletics. He witty and confident beyond his years.

Jasim Ali

15

Sophomore

Lafayette High School

How did you get into performing arts? There’s just something about being in front of an audience. I started doing speech at a young age. I won a lot of speech competitions. When we moved to New Iberia, my mom learned about IPAL. They were doing “My Son Pinocchio,” and I auditioned and made it. Acting was something that blended really well with my speech background. Doing that play really lit a fire in me. Now, I’ve done six performances.

What has been your favorite role? It’s hard to pick a favorite. But, probably my role as Clopin in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” That was my second lead role.

What has acting taught you? With every role, I get to go into another person’s life and play it out. It’s been so important for social skills because you never really know what people are going through until you’ve walked in their shoes.

What motivates you to make such high grades? My grades aren’t allowed to be anything other than A’s. As a family, we’ve moved around a lot. Each time we moved I wanted to be able to show my parents that they’ve done so much for me, making good grades is my way of paying them back.

What are some of your other involvements? I’m on the tennis team, talented theater, I’m a member of the Boy Scout Troop 133 in New Iberia. I just did the Quack-a-Thon with the Boys and Girls Club. My mom and I volunteer for IPAL when I’m not in the play. I was also the barker at last year’s Farm Fest for the Sugar Cane Festival.