In the Spotlight - Nabba Alobeidy
Spring 2022
Nabba Alobeidy, '22, has had a unique journey towards earning her CE degree. We wish her luck her last few weeks of school and look forward to celebrating with her at May graduation!
Tell us a little about yourself and what originally made you decide to study Civil Engineering at Stony Brook?
I am a senior student in the Civil Engineering department, and I’m specializing in Structural Engineering. I wasn’t always a CIV major. Many years ago, when I lived in my native country of Iraq, my major was Materials Engineering. When I moved to the US, my options were endless in terms of the different majors and programs available. I started as a Biology major student at Stockton University in southern New Jersey. Realizing that I liked solving problems more than memorizing facts, I decided that it was best for me to finish my engineering path. I transferred to Drexel University in Philadelphia, majoring in Materials Engineering. I only stayed there for one term because it was a private university and I couldn’t keep up financially. Meanwhile, my family was in the process of moving to NYC, so after I finished that one term at Drexel, I moved back with them to the city. For about two and a half years, I didn’t attend school, I just did random jobs to pay the bills.
During fall of 2014, I decided that I had to go back to school and get my bachelor’s degree. I went on the SUNY website, and I found many engineering programs, most of which are offered at Stony Brook, Binghamton, and Buffalo. Even though Stony Brook didn’t specifically offer “Materials Engineering” as a major, they offered Chemical and Molecular Engineering as a major, which I considered close enough. Plus, Stony Brook was the closest SUNY campus to me, so I applied to Stony Brook and got accepted. I attended attended 2 semesters in 2015 and then took another two-year break.
I was working at JFK airport at the beginning of 2018, and I wasn’t very happy with my job. One day I decided to check if I was still considered a student of Stony Brook and if I could re-matriculate. I found out that Spring 2018 semester was the last semester I could re-matriculate, and if I missed it, I would no longer be affiliated with Stony Brook as a student. On the last day of re-matriculation, Friday, January 19, 2018, I drove from my apartment in the Bronx to the Stony Brook campus, filled out all the paperwork, paid all my dues, and secured an apartment on campus for me and my husband. After several years of not being in school, by Spring 2018, I was a married woman and pregnant with my first child. I remember I was very scared of the thought of going back to school now that I had a family of my own.
When I found out that Stony Brook offered Civil Engineering as a major, I jumped on the opportunity because I felt that Civil Engineering as a discipline was much more interesting and exciting for me than Materials Engineering. I applied and got accepted into the CIV program. I haven’t quit school since, and I’m still going strong.
You've had a unique path in college. What is the biggest thing you’ve learned in the last several years or throughout your college career?
The biggest thing I’ve learned is how to be emotionally strong. There have been so many ups and downs in my life that I endured without jeopardizing school. There have been so many challenges that tested my ability and perseverance to continue, but I kept on going. There have been many times I was under so much pressure I was very close to quitting, but I didn’t quit. During hard times, I’ve always asked myself: if my college journey was a thousand miles and if I finished nine hundred miles, would it really be worth it to quit over a hundred miles? My college journey was full of mistakes and failures, but as imperfect as it may be, my journey was so much better than if I had quit.
Looking back on your academic journey thus far, what was your favorite CIV class/classes and why?
Structural Engineering (CIV 310) by Professor Burgueno and Hydraulics (CIV 420) by Professor Farhadzadeh are my absolute favorite CIV classes. Neither Structural Engineering nor Hydraulics were easy classes, but the professors did a phenomenal job teaching and delivering the material. I really enjoyed sitting in lecture, listening to the professors, and being challenged by tricky questions and concepts. I even enjoyed doing the homework assignments for these two classes.
Has there been a professor or mentor at Stony Brook who has been a positive influence or been a mentor on your academic journey and what did they do to help you or what happened to make them your mentor?
Even though he is no longer a faculty at Stony Brook, Professor Sherif Abdelaziz was really helpful with guiding me through my college career. Even though I’ve only met with him twice during advising appointments in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019, he drew the full picture for me as an engineering student at Stony Brook. He was very professional, and he explained everything in detail. He’s the one who made me pay attention to the fine print in the undergraduate bulletin, which was a life saver for me many times. When I met with Professor Abddelaziz for advising the first time, and after he explained things to me, I took a picture of the Excel sheet he had prepared for me as my four-year schedule. Ever since then, I just followed that sheet and the undergraduate bulletin.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you faced while at Stony Brook and what did you do to help yourself stay motivated in the program or with your school work?
Time management was definitely one of the biggest challenges. I really struggled with
juggling school work, married life, parenting, finances, and the often surprises that
came along the way. One of my biggest mistakes was that I tried to be a perfectionist
and prioritize everything. Whenever I attempted doing that, school work was the first
thing to get hit hard and left behind. I’ve learned that during every successful semester
I’ve had at Stony Brook, I put my whole focus and energy on school work, and oddly
enough, the other aspects of my life didn’t get affected, but to be fair I had my
mother here, helping me. In other words, whenever I focused in school, my overall
life was manageable and in order. What helped me stay motivated was I kept reminding
myself that there isn’t a future for me in a profession I care about without finishing
college and earning my bachelor’s degree.
Describe a time or experience that made you the most proud of Stony Brook or choosing civil engineering as a major.
There are many times and experiences where I felt so proud being part of the Stony Brook community. When I went to campus for my first in-person class after the pandemic, the campus was still empty for the most part, but I saw a few familiar faces. I saw some of my classmates. I saw signs of the beautiful campus life coming back slowly but surely. This was the Spring 2021 semester. In the Fall 2021 semester, life was very close to pre-pandemic life, and that made me very happy and proud of our beautiful campus and university.
Go Seawolves!