My name is Maryam Al-Suwaidi and I am a Petroleum Engineer Graduate from Texas A&M, here in Qatar.
I remember four years ago feeling a mix of emotions: Excitement, Happiness and Fear. I was excited to start a new chapter of my life away from school and happy for my four-month long summer vacation that I longed for, I was also fearful to what was yet to come. Now, Fear for me was the most overwhelming emotion out of all the three. I was scared of the transition from high school to university, I was scared that I might have made the wrong decision into going to an engineering school, I was scared that I was not going to fit in with the other students and find friends, and most of all, I was scared of change.
The first time I told my parents that I wanted to go to an engineering school to study petroleum engineering, my father was kind of supportive of the idea but my mother told me “absolutely not”, however, I remember clearly my older sister taking me to the side and telling me to go for it. This made me want it even more than before, and therefore, I worked extra hard to prove to my parents that I am capable of going down that road. And let me tell you this, my mum who was against the idea, was the person to cry the most during my graduation.
A huge part of your university experience is about finding yourself, knowing what you’re good at and what you’re not. If you fall three times, get up four. And from that experience, I discovered that there were a lot of people who dropped that course that semester, and that’s how I made even more friends in university.
As I progressed through university, I’ve met and became friends with students and professors from different walks of life who constantly supported me and pushed me to do my best and achieve my greatest. And three years later, I became the president of the Petroleum Engineering Honor Society.
To conclude, I’d like to say, it’s the journey that counts, not the destination. The memories you create, the challenges you face and the choices you make, makes you who you are.
