Mohamed Samy: World-Traveled Software Engineer Settles in Fairfield

Mohamed Samy, a computer science student from Egypt, recently starred in a short video, which received over a million views on Facebook. In the video, Mohamed described his experience of being a Muslim student at MUM. He chose to speak in Arabic so that people in the Arabic-speaking world can learn about MUM.

Mohamed studied computer science in Cairo, Egypt, and was a sought-after software engineer for 15 years. He had always dreamed of studying in the US, but the September 11 attacks of 2001 and then the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 thwarted his plans. When he lost his job in 2014, he decided to finally realize his dream.

He saw an advertisement for MUM’s MS in Computer Science program on Facebook, but the promise of earning a graduate diploma with only a small upfront payment seemed too good to be true. However, he did some research and became interested in the program. He was also concerned about the compatibility of the Transcendental Meditation® program with his religion. Again he kept an open mind, and when he discovered that the TM technique is a simple mental technique practiced by people of all faiths, his concerns dissipated and he decided to learn it.

After losing his job he was suffering from insomnia and anxiety. The TM technique offered immediate relief: he was able to sleep again, relax, and improve his outlook on life. “I am a Muslim more than I have ever been,” he said. “But I understand people’s concerns. Meditation helps me with prayer. Everyone needs stress release.”

Mohamed came to MUM in 2015 and found that everyone was so helpful and accepting that he didn’t need to worry about anything. He and other Muslim students can practice their religion on campus.

As the son of a diplomat, Mohamed grew up traveling the world, living in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, and Bulgaria. But he became so fascinated with Fairfield, he decided to stay. “Fairfield is small, but it’s a cosmopolitan town,” he said. Fortunately, he found a position with a local company, Cambridge Investment Research, for his professional internship. After he graduates, Mohamed hopes to settle in Fairfield and support computer professional students at MUM by helping them find employment.

Watch Mohamed’s video with English subtitles below: