An Engineer with an Eye on Campus

When mechanical engineering senior Khaled Hassan started his first semester at AUC, he was still deciding whether to major in graphic design or engineering. Hassan chose the latter, but has never stopped following his passion for the arts, more specifically, photography.

For Hassan, AUC's liberal arts program helped him pursue this two seemingly different interests. “As a mechanical engineering student, I see everything objectively, as if existence has no colors but black and white," he said. "As a photographer, I see life painted in colors, springing with beauty and brightness. AUC, with its liberal arts courses and broad, diversified perspectives, helped me bring my two passions together, with all the shades in between.”

Hassan had the chance to exhibit his talent to the AUC community last spring, when he took part in the #AUCinBloom contest, a University-run photography competition that encourages AUC community members to share their shots of the New Cairo campus in full bloom. “I never had the opportunity to participate in photo competitions, so this came as a surprise,” he said. “But it’s a good start.”

Having earned most of his photography skills by editing videos on his own, Hassan is the vice president of Good Morning AUC, a YouTube channel that re-enacts discussions and events happening at the University. “I love how visual effects are made in films,” he noted. “Following my heart enabled me to develop technical knowledge and expertise in media production and the arts. While it is true that we learn inside the classroom, significant learning also comes from outside.”

In addition to being a photography and media production enthusiast, Hassan enjoys creative writing. He writes reflections about his daily life. “Like photography and media production, my writing flourished after attending AUC,” he declared.

For Hassan, the biggest advantage of being an AUC student is the opportunity to engage with creative minds from different majors. “Interacting with different people flourishes one’s mind and opens new perspectives of looking at life,” he said. “When I think back to my first year of college and look at myself now, I see how greatly I improved on a personal, intellectual and interpersonal level. Even my closest friends are AUCians, and I can proudly say that they are my heroes because of how much they’ve inspired me.”