Ahmed Hussain

Ahmed Hussain, 24, has spent every summer since he was eight in Coney Island helping out in his family's stores in the amusement area.  What he enjoyed most about growing up in Coney was his friendship with the operators of Faber's Fascination Arcade and Shoot Out the Star, whom he describes as his mentors. He says the Eldorado was his first arcade experience and he enjoyed playing for tickets which could be redeemed for prizes. At Faber's, he discovered and became adept at pinball. "It was a neighborhood of its own," says Ahmed, who recalls free rides on the Bumper Boats and Virtual Reality ride and the opportunity to play in the Batting Cages and at Shoot the Freak. "I was glad I was able to experience that before all these people had gone away or moved on to something else. There were a lot of interesting characters. Not only that they loved their job, but they loved entertaining people. That was cool." Newly graduated from Baruch College with a political science degree, Ahmed looks forward to traveling to Malaysia, where he was born, and to Sweden. In the spring he  plans to get back to business in Coney Island and look for a school for his graduate studies.