At Five Before College, we understand the unique challenges faced by Muslim teenagers in today's competitive academic landscape.
Our mission is to help students not only get into their dream colleges but also discover who they are and what they want from life, all while staying true to their faith
Five Before College is based on a Famous Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
Take Care of Five Before Five:
Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your
poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death.” - Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Meet the Founder
Brother Hamzah Henshah
Assalam o Alaikum Brothers and Sisters!
I was Born and raised in Boston. I accepted Islam in 1994 while attending St. Mark’s, a suburban boarding school in Southborough,MA. In 2001, I graduated from Harvard College, where I concentrated in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations with a minor in economics. I began my career in the field of Islamic Finance, working for Rockefeller in New York and Saudi Arabia.
Later on In the spring of 2003, I planned to transition to the field of education. Alhamdulilah, this was the best decision of my life. I got various opportunities to teach at the top institutes around the world including: Islamic Academy of New England in Sharon, Wesgreen Int. School in Sharjah, UAE, and the American Language Center in Rabat, Morocco.
Since 2013, I am here at Al-Noor Academy with an official title of Dean of Students and Humanities. My main roles are overseeing the dual enrollment program, and serving as the college/guidance counselor for the high school students.
During COVID, when everything shutdown and whole the world turned to online. I also started to share my experiences online. I really enjoyed helping thousands of students in various parts of the worlds with diverse background. That became a stepping stone for this initiative: Five Before College.
Why working with Hamzah is so Special?
I think one of the reasons I’m able to connect with teenagers so well is that I was just like them. They are able to open up to me in a way that many never really can with their parents because they see that I am not going to judge them.
I have now taught at an Islamic school for more than a decade, and I see my same story play out with so many teenagers. For many students, it’s as if they have an Islam “switch” that they flip on as soon as they enter the school or masjid and then shut off as soon as they exit.
Do you know? Why I am able to connect with Muslim Youth?
How I am able to identify the challenges they are facing?
Short Answer is: I have gone thorough all of those scenarios
I want to tell a story I’ve never spoken about publicly before.
I became Muslim at 15, alhamdulillah. But I don’t think I became a mu’min (inshAllah) until 5 years later when I was a junior in college.
When I first embraced Islam, there were a grand total of three Muslims in my network. Some tableeghi brothers used to visit our boarding school once a month and brought us to the masjid.
By senior year, however, cracks began to appear in everybody’s armor
Although we kept our doubts to ourselves, I believe each of us began to feel increasingly shackled by Islam’s many rules and restrictions. No alcohol. No girls. No inappropriate music. We saw our friends exploring these budding pleasures, and we felt we were missing out on our youth.
At Harvard, however, I encountered a real Muslim community. For the first time in my life, I could regularly attend Friday prayer. And I began to do just that. I befriended many Muslims, and Islam slowly began to creep back into my life.
Before long I had developed two distinct personalities. Around Muslims I was the humble, pious Mahboob; but with my roommates and non-Muslims I was the fun-loving Marshall, whose life resembled that of a typical college student. I was what I now refer to as a “Jumma Muslim.”
I remember the exact moment when things changed. I attended a Friday khutbah with Sh. Taha Abdul-Baseer, and the topic was nifaq (hypocrisy). He explained that the munafiq—one who professes Islam on his tongue but belies it in his actions—was worse than a disbeliever. The khutbah had softened my heart, and I was feeling disgusted by the hypocrisy of my lifestyle.
I knew I had to make a change. But try as I might to shake myself free, I had become too attached to my western freedoms. I realized that I needed a shift in environment to get away from haram influences, and thus I applied to spend my junior spring abroad at the American University in Cairo.
Before long, however, I learned to spend all my free time on the rooftop musalla. I soon built a network of incredible Muslim friends who helped reinvigorate my faith.
I made a vow to never intentionally miss a daily prayer, and alhamdulillah, I never have in the nearly 25 years since.
While I became Muslim at 15, I found my Qibla at 20.
My Mission>>
My Mission is to empower Muslim teens to achieve their dream college goal without compromising their deen. My unique approach prepares youth for success in both worlds- this life and the hereafter.
With a Harvard education and over 20 years of experience, I have helped hundreds of Muslim teenagers secure spots at top
colleges like Harvard, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins. My deep understanding of the college admissions process and my
commitment to my students' success set us apart. My goal is not just to help you get into your dream college but also to launch
you towards Jannat al-firdous.
If you want to become successful in both the worlds,
Let's Connect
