Dreams are timeless

 Mohamed Elmagbri always sought for better opportunities and knew to do what was best for him. He embarked on a journey of self discovery about his passions for research and various other things during his years of education. 

Georgetown University, Graduation ceremony,May2019

Mohamed did his primary education in Libya. At Benghazi University, he took petroleum engineering for 4 years. At the time, a new petroleum engineering department had just opened in Benghazi. To him, this was a secured job and a golden opportunity. He enjoyed and loved studying the subject, however, working in the field as an engineer didn’t excite him as much. He felt that the job lacked soul and was very dry. Literally, he worked in a desert. Although he was paid very well or “like a king” as he described it, Mohamed knew he didn’t want to do this for the rest of his life.

Through working as a teaching assistant and volunteering in civil society work, Mohamed found that he enjoyed helping others, interacting with people and addressing their needs. This resulted in his passion for researching. Coming from Libya, a country that is lacking in recorded data, Mohamed envisioned the positive outcomes for the country if he carried out research on different things. He joined an organization called Tawasul where he helped young people. Despite his salary being half of that of petroleum engineering, he was happier. He was so interested that he wanted to further study this field. He went to the USA with his wife to pursue that dream. 

Mohamed went to Georgetown University in Washington and studied in the school of foreign service. He found that after focusing solely on Libyan issues, that he felt left out in discussions with his peers. This encouraged Mohamed to read more about other countries, which sparked new interests in topics such as the failure and prosperity of nations. Being in the USA was a learning experience for both him and his wife. People were open minded, knowledge was everywhere and he made friends driven by similar motives and interests at university.

Mohamed’s experience at university taught him a lot of useful information;

- Your peers are more helpful than the professors/instructors 

- Self learning is key; you shouldn’t wait for external help like you do at school, this technique is also useful after university

- If you do not communicate you will lose important opportunities

- Know your preferred studying methods

Mohamed preferred studying with other people as it was more helpful to him. He also highly encourages learning languages as early as possible because it opens more doors in the future and widens your perspective on the world. If you’ve been hesitating to learn Spanish for months, start as soon as possible! It’s never too late.  

In one word, Mohamed described his experience in the USA as empowering. This was because it empowered him in all aspects of life; he learnt a lot intellectually and professionally. Going to university was a big turning point in his life. 

Spending months in research and working to help people such as helping entrepreneurs is a lot of work. However, Mohamed wakes up everyday motivated by the fact that his job will result in more knowledge about the world, especially Libya, and bigger understanding in decision makers which makes a big impact. It’s like he’s collecting pieces of a puzzle and completing it through research. 

Me interviewing Mohamed

What makes Mohamed’s journey so interesting is that he always took opportunities and never waited
for them! He never hesitated to change his field when he lost interest in it and he was open to every possible option, which is what makes him a fascinating person. Mohamed’s story can inspire young people in many ways, it teaches you that taking opportunities can lead to very worthy outcomes and that it’s never too late to discover new passions and dreams and pursue them!