My Story

Origins and Culture

I was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA to two loving parents who had very different cultural backgrounds and perspectives. My mother (now deceased) was a special education teacher for a local elementary school and had grown up in rural Illinois. My father on the other hand, is a first-generation immigrant from Egypt. He came to the US in the 80s pursuing a Digital Arts degree and is now a tenured Professor at Bakersfield College. Growing up with such different cultures has given me a unique outlook and an appreciation for the many blessings we have been given as American citizens. The picture to the right is from a trip my immediate family and I took to visit my father's side of the family where I (pictured next to my brother and aunt) am wearing a common outfit called the galabeya visiting a mall in Cairo.

My Story

Recreational Hobbies

Growing up in California, I have had access to many types of outdoor activities. Whether it was a weekend trip to the beach to go surfing with friends, trips to the snow to go snowboarding, or staying in town playing tennis (please disregard the extremely obvious foot-fault in the picture) and pickleball there has always been something to do with friends and family. I have also enjoyed playing instruments like guitar and piano in my free time as a means of manifesting my creative ideas and soothing my soul. My personality has always favored social interaction over alone time, and I believe that is how I have been able to develop the emotional intelligence that I bring to the workplace to read and navigate the many social interactions that take place both at and outside of work.

My Story

Other Hobbies and Interests

The thought of me always growing the bounds of my knowledge and learning new things excites me. This has driven me so discover many new things that I enjoy like 3D printing, programming, and understanding more about how the new tools that are emerging can be applied to areas that I have proficiency in. I have learned that many of the skills that I have developed translate over to the internships and projects that I have worked on, and the lessons learned during these projects oftentimes have profound repercussions on the rate at which I absorb information.