Said Al Barumi

Said Al Barumi
Meet Said Al Barumi

Graduating from UNL a “dream come true” for Al Barumi

May 14, 2020 | by Aaliyah Wells-Samci

7,703 miles from his hometown of North Ghubrah in Muscat, Oman, Said Al Barumi took the first steps towards his dream of becoming a professional licensed engineer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Al Barumi was drawn to Nebraska after learning more about the engineering program, which is a Top 100 undergraduate engineering program according to the U.S. News and World Report rankings. He was excited the college encouraged students to participate in country-wide competitions and offered multiple opportunities for travel.

“My proudest accomplishment is definitely earning my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics,” said Al Barumi.

Said helping his teammate build the robot with Lunabotics

As an engineering major, one of Al Barumi’s favorite college memories was joining the NASA Lunabotics Team on the UNL Aerospace Club. One of the six special design teams part of the club, the Lunabotics team works towards NASA’s mission to explore Mars. Every year, the Nebraska team builds a robot that can traverse a simulated Martian terrain at the NASA Lunabotics Competition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“I was able to represent the university at NASA’s competition, and I’m proud to say that I was a team leader,” said Al Barumi. “[It] was an intellectual and exquisite experience all together.”

In addition to directing the team building the robot’s chassis and wheels, Al Barumi noted that the project was an important learning experience for him. His favorite part was teaching and leading the team to design, model and build the parts of the robot.

“Being stuck as a problem and being able to solve that problem by sitting with a bunch of engineering students is truly amazing,” he said. “The way our ideas come together and use it to create a solution to a problem is what teamwork is all about.”

Said in traditional dress at Omani Night

During his time at the university, Al Barumi also got involved with other campus groups including volunteer service projects and the Omani Student Association. In his role as a board member, Al Barumi helped organize the annual Omani Night cultural celebrations.

“My advice for international students is definitely go for it—get involved,” Al Barumi shared. “It is an experience of a lifetime. Be able to share your stories and success from achieving your goals and dreams at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.”

Graduating from Nebraska is a dream come true. I struggled a lot, but I am glad I never gave up. Being able to look back to what I have done in Nebraska as a student is truly an amazing feeling!

Said Al Barumi
Oman

Said celebrating his graduation with his degree

After graduating from Nebraska in December 2019, Al Barumi has continued to work towards his goal of becoming a professional licensed engineer. He is proud of the person he is today, and says his time at UNL played a primary role in his development not only by moving to another country, but also through the connections he built and classes he took. Ultimately, Al Barumi aims to become an engineer for NASA.

“I never felt like a stranger being in Nebraska,” Al Barumi said after looking back on his time at UNL. “I am proud of the person I have become, and my journey is only getting started as a Nebraska alumni.”

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