He speaks five languages, takes 25 units and worked on a political campaign this semester.

Swedish native Rani Ibrahim is looking to transfer to an Ivy League school such as Brown or Colombia for Fall 2011, and for him, a busy schedule and everyday responsibilities are propellants to work harder.

“I have lived with him, worked with him, and won with him,” said Ibrahim’s friend Royce Mason. “He is the type of guy that if you ask him a question and he doesn’t know the answer, he will tell you. But I bet you what; he knows how to find the answer.”

Growing up, Ibrahim found he was drawn to soccer, and once it came time for college, he hoped City College would be his gateway to an athletic scholarship.

However, upon arrival to California, he realized that he had to broaden his skill set and keep an open mind in order to be successful.

“There aren’t a lot of soccer scholarships in California for international students,” he said. “Those plans are being put aside for now.”

He also has an internship with Phi Theta Kappa, which makes up two of the 25 units he is enrolled in this semester.

“The Phi Theta Kappa Internship really teaches you a lot for students who like to take the extra step and go the extra mile,” Ibrahim said. “You get to work with three great advisors, and have a team of twenty hard-working, motivated students to help you.”

One of the accomplishments that Ibrahim is most proud of from this semester is having helped one of the candidates running for the 23rd Congressional District with his campaign method.

Ibrahim, along with his friend and campaign manager E.G. Garay, convinced Independent Party candidate John Hager that he needed to broaden his campaign to reach more people—especially students—through the Internet.

“We came to him with a ten-page proposal showing how step-by-step he could change his viral campaign,” Ibrahim said.

They worked from the middle of September until the end of November to take Hager’s campaign to the next level by social networking on websites like Facebook.

Ibrahim was born in Sodertalje, Sweden, in 1991. His parents are Assyrian from a small area in Southeast Turkey. They speak Aramaic, which Ibrahim said is the language spoken in the movie “The Passion of the Christ.”

“I was born with a lot of languages around me,” Ibrahim said. He’s fluent in four languages: Arabic, Aramaic, Swedish and English, and is also learning Spanish.

English professor Clara Oropeza said Ibrahim “mindfully contributes a lot of his colorful ideas in class discussions. It has been an overall joy having Rani as a student. He works hard and thinks critically about literature.”

On top of his abundant scholastic schedule and internship with Phi Theta Kappa, Ibrahim also works 19 hours in the Learning Resource Center every week.

“He is very ambitious and does not give up on things,” said Ibrahim’s friend Anosha Nekonam. “He is very determined and a persistent young man. He has a strong work ethic, so when he sets his mind on something he will not give up until he’s done.”

With such a hectic schedule, Ibrahim must make time for relaxation, which he decided to do by taking up guitar as a hobby. He is learning how to play the rapid style of Flamenco, and it is proving to be a challenge so far.

Although Flamenco is one of the hardest and most complicated styles of guitar, Ibrahim is determined to teach himself the mechanics.

“I like to live life like how they picture it in the movies,” Ibrahim said. “Nothing is impossible.”