As Head Coach, Malcolm oversees the amateur and professional training and development of all students at the Academy. In 2016, the Academy launched its first after-school academic and athletic enrichment program. Since then, the Academy has expanded to include partnerships with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Scouting America, Pathway to Adventure Council, and human service agencies in the Chicago area. In collaboration with the City of Chicago Park District (District), it is the only program of its kind in the District. 

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Coach began his youth development career somewhat by default. His daughter began intensive, year-round, specialized sports training at age eight and, three days a week, made the arduous journey to the northwestern suburbs and eventually to a neighboring state for Olympic-level training. As she excelled in the sport, Coach Muhammad developed his social-and-emotional learning-integrated sport education (SB-SEL) enrichment programs and took over full-time coaching responsibilities for his daughter. His daughter’s development positioned her as one of the top amateur and NCAA Division I recruits in the nation, earning academic and athletic offers from some of the best Ivy League, private, and public Division I institutions.

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Coach enjoys teaching and promoting a lifelong interest in the community in the sport that allows participants to literally explore the world. He teaches Foil, Epee, and Saber from beginner to competitive levels. Eighty (80+) private high schools offer fencing as an interscholastic sport, and forty (40+) colleges and universities have National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I, II, and III fencing programs. These programs offer financial assistance, up to and including full scholarships.  As a professional member of the United States Fencing Association and the United States Fencing Coaches Association, he competes to enhance his skills and teaches classes at the Academy and in other after-school programs in the Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools.

When he’s not traveling to watch his daughter’s competitions and his son’s musical performances, Coach Malcolm is a member of the Engagement Council at Interlochen Arts Academy, where he serves on the off-Campus committee, facilitating student engagement, developing programs responsive to the Alumni experience, and training ambassadors for the arts education institution. He also volunteers with community organizations to revitalize and preserve the authenticity of Bronzeville’s African-American heritage and architectural history.