For Ahmad, Ramadan is not a break from life, it’s a time to sharpen it.
As a member of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), Ahmad approaches this Ramadan season the same way he approaches his personal growth: intentionally, critically, and with an expectation of producing positive results. He is justice-impacted and grounded in the teachings of Islam, focused on becoming better each year than he was the year before.
Ahmad grew up between Atlanta and Chicago in a family he describes as “reality flippers”. Though incarceration affected multiple generations of his family, they refused to let it shape their identity, turning hard experiences into motivation to grow.
He lived primarily with his mother while his father was incarcerated for much of his childhood. During that time, his father embraced Islam. When he returned home, he brought not only faith with him, but stability, perspective, and a new way of seeing life.
“He told me this religion would keep me accountable in hard times and would give me the courage I’d need to move through the world with discipline,” Ahmad recalls.
Instead of demanding blind adherence, his parents encouraged him to explore various religions and decide for himself. Ahmad chose Islam after researching, studying, and observing. What resonated most was not the ceremony, but the structure, the way faith established a moral baseline rooted in discipline, accountability, and inner peace. That foundation continues to guide him, especially during Ramadan.
“Every year I get something different out of it,” he says. “It depends on what’s going on in my life and how I choose to carry it. It’s my refinement season.”
For Ahmad, Ramadan extends far beyond fasting.
“It’s not just about not eating,” he explains. “It’s about not backbiting and not indulging in negativity. Being intentional about taking the time to examine habits, speech, distractions, and even sometimes the people with access to you. It is about removing what no longer serves your higher purpose and taking that with you through a lifetime, not just a season.”
“I don’t like symbols without meaning,” he says. “You’ve got to get something out of it.”
That mindset closely mirrors his reentry journey. While incarcerated, faith was not theoretical.
He says, “In that environment, discipline becomes survival. Prayer becomes grounding and reflection becomes necessary.”
Today, Ahmad is channeling that same discipline into his participation in CEO’s Emerging Leaders Program. ELP challenges participants to strengthen communication, accountability, professionalism, and long-term vision. For Ahmad, those aren’t abstract concepts but daily practices.
“Islam sharpens my character. ELP sharpens my leadership. Both require consistency. Both require humility. Both require doing the work, especially when no one is watching.”
CEO, in his words, “has been the hand that I needed” after coming home from a system that can make stability difficult. Beyond employment pathways, he emphasizes the importance of respect and the opportunity to grow in environments that recognize both his ambition and his discipline.
For Ahmad, Ramadan is not simply a season of reflection. It is a recommitment to the standards he sets for himself spiritually, professionally, and personally.
And through faith, leadership development, and consistent work, he is not just restarting his life.
He is rebuilding it with intention.
