Humans of HackBeanpot: Sama El Tahawy

My biggest inspiration in life is my mother. Similarly to what I’ve seen in my education and co-op experiences, my mom has always taught me how to make it through challenges. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through CS without her support and guidance. The importance of a good work ethic is something that she has always instilled in me since I was a kid and it’s something that I’ve had to lean on a lot in almost every aspect of my life. She’s always told me that if I put in all the effort that I can, then I’ve done enough and I just need to sit back and see what comes of it. She went through a lot of challenges in her life that until recently I didn’t really realize were big challenges, and what I have drawn from her life and her lessons is that just because something is challenging now doesn’t mean it’s insurmountable. When I changed my major from psychology to computer science, I really leaned into those lessons and for the first time picked something that was really challenging for me and stuck with it. I knew going in how hard it would be because even when I was just considering the switch, people would tell me things like, “Why would you do that?” or “That’s a big jump to make from psychology to CS.” Even though there were nights that were really hard and there were points where imposter syndrome set in and made me reevaluate my decision, I was able to push through all of that and really tell myself that I am a computer scientist and I am going to accomplish my goals. And I am still making it through those challenges now!