Following the Footsteps of an Outstanding Student

Young Mohammed Al-Udayni grew up and attended high school in the little town of Midekhera, located about an hour from the City, in the Province of Ibb. Throughout his childhood, he was inspired by his father and his many uncles, who advised him strongly to aim for the top in life. Mohamed listened to this wise advice very carefully and, at an early age, began to set ambitious goals for himself and approached his school work in a conscientious manner. His diligence paid off and upon graduation, he obtained the second highest scores in the entire Province.

Due to his exceptional marks, he received a scholarship to Jordan, and enrolled at the Faculty of Information in the Computer Science Technology Department at Hashemite University. He studied there for two years attaining the distinction of becoming first in his class. He then moved to the University of Jordan to complete a Bachelor’s Degree where he graduated with honors with an impressive ranking of third in his entire group.

Upon graduation, he embarked on what would become a life-changing experience. While the caliber of his academic achievements earned him an offer of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to the United States, he remembered his father’s advice to “aim for the top” and chose instead to accept an alternative scholarship - one which he felt offered him access to one of the best education in the world - a Master’s Degree at the School of Engineering of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

This departure from his homeland, while exciting, faced him with several personal challenges. As experienced by many foreign students, the initial culture shock can be overwhelming, especially tough when combined with separation from supportive family and childhood friends. However, great determination has always been one of Mohammed’s strengths and within a short period of time he began to develop a large circle of new friends, and made a great effort to learn everything he could about his new surroundings and lifestyle. He participated in many activities and traveled as much as his studies permitted, managing to visit Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Prince Edward Island and most of Nova Scotia. By his own admission, Canada has truly become a second home and more importantly, he feels that this has been one of the happiest times of his life.

While he thrived personally, he also reached great heights academically. He graduated with “Excellence”, obtaining a grade point average of 4.15 out of 4.3. In addition he earned four Certificates and is currently acquiring others in the field of Computer Networks.

Presently Mohammed is seeking to gain some work experience in his field while deciding about the future of his academic pursuits, whether it will be a Ph D or an MBA. When asked about the long-term and how he will use his qualifications to benefit his country, it is evident that his determination to succeed will extend beyond his own personal satisfaction. He believes strongly that all people have a great responsibility to their homeland and fellow citizens, and he is no exception. While he admits that he will miss Canada and all his wonderful friends, he greatly welcomes the opportunity to return home, devoting his skills and education to help build Yemen so that others may also share in the extraordinary opportunity to aim for the stars and transform their hopes and dreams into reality.

Mohammed is an inspiration to all and a fine example of the ultimate power of determination.

To contact Mohammed Al-Udayni, Click here.