On Aug. 12, 2003, Assad Malik entered this world. From his humbling perspectives on life and his expertise in videography, Malik proudly made his mark on the individuals he’s come in contact with. 

While it’s not necessarily his birthday or an official holiday, March 12 marks the day that the entirety of his peers, ranging from students to school staff, came together to honor his existence and his accomplishments. It’s safe to say that (un)National Assad Day (NAD) has been born. 

“I think it’s very cool that we can come together and support Assad like this considering everything he does for [publications],” junior Sydney Rowe said. “I had to wake up super early so I could get to school in time to put a picture of Matthew McConaughey on each computer in the photography room, so Assad would see his idol when he walked in.”

National Assad Day was officially planned by his peers on March 11, when the word quickly spread to everyone but Assad. In order to partake in this “holiday,” people dressed in one of his most consistent outfits: a denim button up, a white T-shirt, black jeans, a brown belt and dress shoes. 

“I wear this outfit as part of an organized, honorary ceremony for our editor-in-chief of videography, Assad Malik,” junior Doug Kyles said. “We all appreciated the work that he’s been doing for us throughout for the past few years. It started with just a few people, then we got the teachers involved. By the end, we had so many classrooms full of Assads.” 

While Malik is a senior, students plan to keep this tradition going after his graduation. 

“We plan to keep this tradition going as long as we can,” sophomore Braylen Garren said. “Next year, I plan to force everyone to continue to participate in Assad Day, especially the people in publications.”

On the celebration of Assad Day, principal Carla Dupree participated in the event and also awarded Malik with his own TISD badge that read “Chief Videographer of the Principal.”

“The other day at senior sunrise when the whole class was gathered together for a senior picture, Assad was not even in the picture because he wanted to be on the other side taking the picture. I finally convinced him to, but he’s always behind the scenes, so I’m glad today, we were able to bring the spotlight on him,” Dupree said. “Recently, there was a PSA video contest for the school to compete in. Our fundraising for project celebration has been inhibited lately due to COVID. If we won, our school would win $2,000, so I reached out to Assad to make the video. He agreed and said he’d win, which he did. Assad has always been my go-to person for videos, and he always comes through. We wanted to come together and celebrate him, because everyone always deserves celebration.”

When Malik woke up this morning, he was completely oblivious to what the day before him had in store. From carpooling and eating breakfast with his friends prior to school then attending campus to see clones of himself, this was definitely a day worth remembering. 

“It’s nice to see everyone dressed nicely for once. I, and only I, see the true value of being well dressed. I was incredibly surprised to see everyone dressed like me,” Malik said. “This is honestly the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve only ever celebrated my birthday once, so this was the next best thing. There’s no better day to be Assad Malik.”