As someone who has lived in New York City for my entire life, I have constantly witnessed the city changing around me. Whether it’s a new building being constructed, an old one being renovated, or even an extension to the subway system, the city is always undergoing some sort of change. Growing up, I was always fascinated by all of these new projects surrounding me, wanting to learn as much about them. “Why were they built this way?” and “What purpose will they serve?” were some of the many questions that would cross my mind each day.

As I grew a bit older, I realized that not everything was new. In fact, New York City is one of the oldest cities in the United States, and thus much of its infrastructure is aging and in need of repairs. I realized that much of NYC’s subway system is over 100 years old, the Brooklyn Bridge over 125 years old, and not everything has been kept in its best condition. As I explored other countries, including Egypt and Jamaica where my mother and father are from respectively, I was able to see even more types of infrastructure and the problems that they face. In Egypt, the electricity often cuts out due to a lack of supply, and in Jamaica, many of the roads, especially those in the mountains, are dangerous to drive on. However, just like here in the United States, they are constantly upgrading their infrastructure, creating new roads, modernizing older ones, and building more to help their people.

I’ve also always had an interest in maps. I would draw maps of imaginary cities, creating roads, parks, highways, and even subway routes. I would spend hours looking at maps, first on paper then on my computer, looking at different areas of the world and seeing how I would get there from New York. Whenever we went on a road trip, I would alternate staring at the map and outside the window, directing my dad on where to go. I would go on subway adventures with my dad, planning out a route and exploring different areas of the city. Even if we were only a few miles away from home, it seemed like a different world.

Even to this day, my interest in transportation and infrastructure remains. Whenever I visit a new city or country, one of the first things I want to do is explore their bus or subway system, both in order to use it to explore the city but also to compare the system itself to New York’s. I’m continuing to learn as much as I can about massive infrastructure projects, such as the major renovations to New York’s airports, the Gateway Project on the North East Corridor, and the numerous proposals for high-speed rail across the country.

I also have many other interests. I’ve been playing the piano ever since I was five years old, and have always been interested in music production and composition. I enjoy both creating original pieces of music and remixing existing pieces to different genres and styles. I also played the cello from 4th grade up until my senior year of High School, participating in my school’s orchestra.

I’ve always been a huge soccer fan. I started playing on a team when I was 10 years old, continuing on to my high school’s team. I continued to play at Columbia as a co-captain of my Intramural Soccer team that I started with one of my friends, and I really enjoy the break that it provides from classes each time we play a game.

I’ve also always had an interest in video games. Ever since I was 10 I’ve loved Minecraft. I brought this love to Columbia, where I co-founded Columbia’s Minecraft Club during my freshman year, as a place for us to relax and play some games together once a week. This was especially important during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when we were all at home and most other activities were canceled, as it allowed us to stay connected even though we were physically apart.

Starting my master’s program at UC Berkeley has been an amazing experience. This is the first time I haven’t lived in New York City, so there’s been a lot to learn, but I’ve enjoyed it greatly, exploring the Bay Area and making new friends from all around the world.