At a Glance
Who Am I?
I am Christian, renewable energy engineer, avid biker, explorer by heart, amateur photographer, nature lover, brother, son. I am both a proud Canadian and a proud Lebanese.
I have been incredibly blessed with more than I deserve. I had the opportunity to travel and live multiple places that influenced who I am today. I grew up in Lebanon and since then I have lived in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, The Netherlands and now Colorado.
What I aspire to be
A mental exercise is to imagine what you would like your friends and family to say at your eulogy. Above all else I aspire to be a compassionate, kind, loving human being, true to my values and beliefs and to inspire other people to do the same.
Why I value the natural world
Chief Seattle said: "If all beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself". So you see, civilization cannot live without the natural world we are so adamant about destroying, thus destroying ourselves. By conserving what little we have left of our natural forests, we are ultimately conserving a future for our grandchildren. This why I encourage each one of us to think twice about our actions that we can ultimately create a future for ourselves!
PS. A picture of a cute squirrel
What gets me going
Some people would find sun tanning on a beach relaxing. Well, I find it more relaxing and soothing to climb a mountain. I have always felt most alive being part of nature, hiking through forests and mountains.
John Muir couldn't have said it any better: " Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. "
Living the beach life on top of a mountain!!
Chronological Life Events
1991-2000 Marjaayoun, Lebanon
I grew up in a small town in southern Lebanon surrounded by two mountain ranges. I grew up in the house pictured on the right with a view of the mountains. Check the video below for a location
2000-2009 Beirut, Lebanon
High school
After moving to the capital, I attended a private school close to the mountains. I graduated high school from Beirut Evangelical School for Girls and Boys (BESGB).
2009-2012 Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada
Moving to Canada
My new life started in the smallest province of Prince Edward Island. Living on the gentle small island gave me the time to focus on developing the solid foundation that I built my academic life around.
2012-2015 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Finding Home
I have only lived in Halifax for two consecutive years only but I have been in and out of Halifax for the past 10 years. I only began to appreciate Halifax's beauty more after I moved away. Halifax has given me adventure, golf, lifelong friendships, a degree and most importantly a place I can call home. I have spent the last 7 Christmases in Halifax. I have found that Nova Scotia to be a hidden gem tucked under thick canopies of green.
Jan-Aug 2014 Regina, Saskatchewan
My first and last marathon!
For my last job placement at University, I worked for a Potash mining company in Regina, Saskatchewan. I got to experience the harshest winter and the most brilliant blue summer skies! There was nothing else to do that winter other than reading books. In the summer, I developed a passion for running and signed up for my first half marathon. I really enjoyed the high from running thus deciding to train for a full marathon and what a mistake that was! Famous last words. But to my surprise, I managed to cross the finish line with a time of 4hr and 20 min. With that high note my summer ended and my last year of engineering started.
24-March-2014 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Becoming a Canadian!
What a treat that was! I am incredibly proud to be Canadian as Canada gave me the most valuable gift of all, an education. A gift that cannot be ever stripped away. The people of Canada have treated me with incredible kindness and warmth that I had no other choice but to follow suit.
May-2015 Dalhousie, Nova Scotia
Graduated Finally Part 1!!
After what felt like forever in the making, I finally graduated from Dalhousie with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As an engineer in Canada, you get to be part of a cult and wear an iron ring on your pinky. Try to spot other cult members when you can.
After spending 5 years in school one might think it's time for me to face the real world. Well you are mistaken my friend, as I decided to do more schooling, hence the next chapter of my life started in Waterloo, Ontario.
2015-2020 Waterloo, Ontario
Soul Searching for a Purpose
Where would I start in summarizing the most transformative years of my life? It all started with me excepting a prestigious national scholarship to do my masters at the University of Waterloo. Shortly afterwards, I was awarded another scholarship to conduct research at TU-Delft in The Netherlands (more on that later). A year into my master, I decided to go all the way out and do my PhD as well.
During those 4 years, I developed a passion for all things outdoors. I became so obsessed with biking that at one point it took over my life. I got into winter camping, sleeping in -20° C weather in a sleeping bag in the middle of nowhere. Also developed a passion for rock climbing indoors and outdoors that led to interesting stories. But above all else, TRAVELLING! I got the opportunity to attend a few international conferences hence the photos on my home page. I love exploring the little corners of our lonely planet.
Apart from all the adventures, I have matured personally as well. Living on my own forced me to develop my own way of thinking of analyzing everything around me. I developed my independent view on life and how it should work.
May-Sept 2016 Delft, The Netherlands
Living the dream!!
I was incredibly proud and humbled to have been awarded a scholarship to conduct research on wind turbines in Delft, Netherlands. Living in a small European city was a dream come true. I got to travel around Europe, exploring new places, new cultures and making new friends. I learned to push and stretch my comfort zone by travelling on my own. I joined a cycling club and biked around beautiful landscape and lots of wind mills. I was incredibly lucky to have conducted experiments in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel to solve real world problems.
May-2020 University of Waterloo, Ontario
Graduated Finally part 2!!
Because the pandemic was shutting down the campus, I had to defend my PhD thesis from home hence the picture right. Although I didn't get to celebrate this achievement with my friends, I am incredibly blessed to have been able to close that chapter of my life before the pandemic further delayed my graduation. For the technical people, my PhD title was: "Active Aerodynamic Modification of Wind Turbine Blades to Reduce Load Fluctuation".
PS. I would like to thank all my friends along the way, without you I would have graduated two years
earlier with no sense of adventure nor exploration.
earlier with no sense of adventure nor exploration.
PSS. With a couple degrees in my hand and solid foundation, I set out to use my expertise to advance the renewable energy sector
2020-Present Fort Collins, Colorado
First Real Job
After taking a couple of months off during the pandemic to recharge and spend time with family, I drove from Halifax to Fort Collins, Colorado to start a new chapter and a new job as a Project Engineer. I am going to take the opportunity of living close to the mountains to create epic adventures!
