8 Years and Counting: A Success Story

"Blow after blow"

Like almost all good stories, Mohamed Metwally's was full of unnerving complications. During his interview, as he recalled the eventful journey he had embarked on, Metwally shook his head with a smile on his face. It seems things did not go his way too easily when he first grew excited to read that AUS had established partnerships abroad through ISEP mid 2010. "Blow after blow," he called the struggles, the technicalities and the hurdles he was faced with. Not only did Metwally overcome everything that attempted to derail him, he progressed significantly at every turn.

How it began

Metwally had dreams of going to medical school, but ended up signing up for an electrical engineering major here, at the American University of Sharjah. His first semester, he recalls, was one that discouraged him. He remembers a brilliant physics professor who intimidated him sometimes  into wondering if he was fit to do his major at all. By the time the end of his second semester rolled around, he wasn't doing as well as he had hoped. Consequently, Metwally went into "full workaholic mode", as he phrases it - "I buried myself in work". This went on throughout his entire summer. While hard at work, one random summer afternoon, the bulletins on the American University of Sharjah website caught his attention. Our International Exchange Office had just signed an agreement with ISEP that would enable him to travel abroad whilst maintaining his scholarship! Incredibly excited by the news, Metwally had rushed to IXO to apply, only to be told he had missed the Fall semester deadline. He then attempted to apply for the following Spring semester, but realized he did not have the sufficient credits to travel abroad just yet. It seems that once faced with that reality, most people would have waited the amount of time it took to accumulate the required number of credits - but not Mohamed Metwally!

"It was a brutal semester"

Mohamed Metwally decided to take his case to the dean at the time, and attempt to cram more credits into one semester than advisable in order to go abroad by Spring like he desired. The dean had encouraged and supported him throughout the complications he encountered, whether it was fixing Metwally's schedule to accommodate overlaps or believing that he would pull through even with the intensive workload. Instead of complaining about having three finals in one day, Metwally requested permission to line up his finals that way. He had to work harder than he ever did before, and he recalled days when it felt impossible that he would pull through. Nonetheless, he refused to give up no matter how discouraging the complications were. Simply put, Metwally was driven to be on a plane that coming January.

Vermont

The University of Vermont (UVM) was not on Mohamed Metwally's list of host university options. "Vermont was a very delightful, very fortunate mishap. It was not part of the plan," he explains. With his first option for a host university not working out, he was advised to think about Vermont by one of his professors. With so little time until the deadline and having to focus on such a heavy workload, Metwally had settled on the University of Vermont without doing much research. He had no idea the weather would be an unfamiliar 0 degrees for the first six months he was there! He recalls the following:

"My mom dressed me up like an eskimo. I felt like a teddy bear - no arm movement possible whatsoever. I landed to a foot and a half of fresh snow, first time ever. Magical moment. Beautiful little town, beautiful place. I'm convinced I'll retire there. If you want to fall in love with Vermont, go there in May/June, then in the Fall, you fall further in love... before you get hit with the harsh reality of winter."

 Metwally's semester was drawing to an end in the University of Vermont when he was asked to extend his stay another three weeks and work on a fun project that tickled his interest. With his stay covered, Metwally decided to stay the extra three weeks. Funny enough, before he left to go home to the UAE, he applied half-heartedly to a paid summer internship that quickly responded the day after the interview - he was hired! Thinking this would be a great experience, Metwally spent the summer traveling around the United States through his job, meeting a variety of people and cultures each time he boarded a plane. He traveled 2 to 3 times a week on average, and helped update and solve problems of softwares in pediatric hospitals. By the time he was almost done with his internship, it was finally time to head back to AUS to start the new Fall semester. However, UVM asked if he would like to stay onboard another semester. His home university, AUS, allowed for the extension. Metwally ended up staying in the US for what he thought was one more semester.

Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving had now rolled around, and Metwally was not going home for the holidays. Instead, to keep busy, he asked one of his professors if he had any projects for him to dabble with. His professor gave him a task - to build a clock of certain specifications - and left for the holidays. The UVM professor was so impressed by Metwally's work that he asked Metwally if he could do a Master's degree with him. Baffled, Metwally was both honored and confused. He was only in his third year of university, over a semester away from getting his Bachelor's. After his professor secured some of the funding, and it seemed he could do an accelerated Master's whilst obtaining his undergraduate degree, Metwally found himself working for two degrees at once. He was doing extra credits again and was busier than he's ever been. Metwally even lost his thyroid temporarily due to stress. He summarizes his chaotic and busy year, "All that... turned into a Master's degree". He was only 21 years old when he finished his Master's.
After that, Metwally gained some experience after accepting an offer from MIT Lincoln Labs, did some research that was funded by NASA and is now working with Fast Enterprises - a government software and consulting company. Metwally is now 26 years old and lives in Denver, Colorado, waiting for his next project.

And now

When asked how he made the jump from electrical engineering, Metwally explains, "I have an electrical engineering degree with a concentration in technology, did my Master's in ground-penetrating radar and space systems and I now work in software consulting and government system design. I've always loved academia and most importantly, problem-solving. Nobody has to simply stick to one thing and do nothing else".
IXO's director, Dr. Linda C. Angell adds, "People go through a huge transition when they brave those amazing abroad experiences". Simply traveling abroad for one semester has opened up numerous doors and opportunities and completely changed many of our student's lives. Mohamed Metwally is one example of many whose life was altered through the opportunities IXO provides. We are confident in the fact that Metwally's list of achievements will only ever grow and make him and his family proud. We can't wait to hear more of his life for years to come.



Bayan Almasri
IXO Publicity Specialist 
Design Management student