Life in Education City
Student Profiles
More About Anas Helbawi
Fall 2009
I was beginning a new life outside my home country. I taught myself how to be more independent and responsible as an individual. I also had to step outside my comfort zone to meet people from various cultures – many of those people will now be lifelong friends.
Spring 2010
I took an eye-opening course, Concepts of Mathematics, which taught me that computer science is not just about sitting behind a computer and typing out lines of code. It's more about problem solving, coming up with different solutions, and choosing the best one. I knew I had a tough major ahead of me, but I was ready for the challenge.
Fall 2010
I took two courses – Great Theoretical Ideas and Fundamentals of Data Structures – that are known as the "make you or break you" courses. I also joined the university's basketball and football teams, and worked 10 hours a week on-campus. I quickly learned how to work efficiently to finish my duties on time.
Spring 2011
I was chosen to travel to Pittsburgh and experience the main campus as part of the IMPAQT program, I was named Most Valuable Player for Carnegie Mellon's Basketball team, and I made it to the Dean's list. I felt like my hard work was paying off!
Summer 2011
I traveled to Dubai as part of the Tartan Bridge Program, an outreach program in which stu- dents connect with companies who might offer regional internships. I teamed up with another student to visit Alstom, a French multinational company that specializes in power generation and transportation. This was my first profes- sional presentation and it gave me the opportu- nity to combine the skills I gained from different classes and activities.
More About Hussain Hejji
Fall 2009
The highlight of my freshman year was the First- Year Adventure trip to Oman. It was a great opportunity to meet other students and faculty members. I also joined the university's business club, which helped me develop my competitive edge. By the end of the semester, I no longer felt like a "deer caught in the headlights." I felt like I belonged at Carnegie Mellon.
Spring 2010
I became a board member for the Qataries club, which allowed me to showcase my culture to the Carnegie Mellon community, plan Qatari Day events and give back to my country through community service.
Summer 2010
A service-learning trip took me to Northern Thailand, where I was one of a group of students who helped fund and build a community center in a remote village. This was a very humbling experience and something I would never have done without Carnegie Mellon.
Fall 2010
I was part of a group of students who welcomed the class of 2014. Since orientation took place during Ramadan, this was a challenging week for everyone. However, when we saw the new students begin to relax and enjoy themselves, we knew we had given them a week they would never forget.
Spring 2011
I remember feeling overwhelmed with coursework, activities and sports. Although it was a challenging semester, I was motivated by my classes, which tested my intellectual capabilities and made me want to work hard. I received my highest GPA yet, and, for the first time, I was placed on the Dean's list.
Summer 2011
I was selected by Carnegie Mellon Qatar to take summer courses at the main campus in Pittsburgh. In addition to studying, I had a lot of fun experiencing the culture and enjoying the weather. I had the time of my life!
More About Noora Alsooj
Fall 2009
During my first semester at Carnegie Mellon I completed three intensive projects: the Innovation Competition, the Website Project, and the Presentation Project on Advanced Technologies. These assignments boosted my self-confidence and taught me how
to communicate my thoughts and ideas effectively.
Fall 2010
I was a team leader in the Information Systems Milieux course term project. This opportunity helped me develop my self-discipline, time management and patience. More than anything, I enjoyed inspiring my team to rise
to the challenge and motivating them to work toward our goals.
Spring 2011
I learned how to build a Party Manager system, which allows a person to create an event online, map the event location, invite guests through email and track their responses. A user could even send thank you notes after the event. I used a system called Ruby on Rails to develop the code for the program, which taught me a lot about Object Oriented Programming.
Summer 2011
I was accepted as an intern for Qatar Petroleum, where I worked in different divisions within the Information Technology & Communications department. It was exciting to see how my university studies apply in the real world.
More About Anna Romanova
Spring 2009
I was elected vice president of programming for the Doctors of Carnegie Society, which is an organization for undergraduates who plan on becoming medical students. I worked with other board members to invite physician speakers, plan activities, and provide volunteer opportunities to students interested in the medical field.
Fall 2009
After getting certified through Academic Development, I began tutoring other undergraduate students in Modern Chemistry. Being able to tutor my peers allowed me
to contribute to the quality of education at Carnegie Mellon while improving my own communication skills.
Spring 2010
For several months, I volunteered at an assisted-living community. I helped lead activities and exercises with the elderly residents. I enjoyed interacting with the residents and felt good about serving the community.
Summer 2010
I conducted research on the development of the brain. I really enjoyed independent research and leaned some of the latest techniques and skills in the field of neuroscience.
Fall 2010
As part of my molecular biology laboratory class, I worked with a partner to design a deletion plasmid that could help investigate genetic mutations in yeast. After several trials, we were able to create the plasmid, which gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
Spring 2011
The Developmental and Cell Biology laboratory was one of my favorite classes. We got to watch the development of various animals, including sea urchins and chicks. It was fascinating to
see an organism grow from a single cell to a complex multi-cellular animal.
