Features

Humans of Maryville: Mahdi Salat

• Bookmarks: 7


mahdii
Photo courtesy of Mahdi Salat.

What influenced you to leave Qatar and study abroad specifically to Maryville University in St. Louis?

“Leaving home and going abroad for four years is never easy. I had to think hard about making the decision of going away. Since my two older siblings studied in the U.S., my parents wanted me to be like them and gain the great experience and be more independent. I also decided to go abroad to continue the generation of my family since most of them have studied abroad…The reason I selected Maryville University is because it is supported back home in Qatar by the Supreme Education Council, which is basically the Ministry of Education. While I was looking for colleges to apply for in the United States, I looked at the brand new list that I found on the council’s website. At that time, Maryville was a brand new school that was just added to list.”

Do you have any unique cultural hobbies?

“A cultural hobby I like to do is connecting and gathering with people, which is an important part of my culture. I also like to do my sword dancing which is an appropriate cultural dance for men. I have a lot of agility for it, such as changing direction and even spinning the sword. I have been doing it since 2004.”

7 recommended
1241 views
bookmark icon