Meet Saamiya
Name: Saamiya Seraj
Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Major: Civil Engineering
Favorite study spot on campus: In the peace and quiet of my own room, and the turtle pond
One of the Best…
I have always heard about how UT had one of the best Engineering colleges in the whole United States and that its Civil Engineering Program was among the top three. I had visited the UT campus once when I was on vacation in America. The state of the art computer labs in the civil engineering building and the beauty of the campus itself further influenced me to come here.
Saamiya’s Advice on…
Studying
Know where to get help! It’s no use spending hours after hours on a problem that you can’t do. There are so many resources on campus that will help you with your coursework. The Jester study table is a very good example of such a resource.
Making friends
Smile. On the first day of college, even though I was so nervous about making new friends, and making the right impressions, I tried keeping a smile on my face. It definitely makes you a lot more approachable, and trust me it will also lighten your own heart. =)
How to be a successful student
Keep a positive attitude. College is difficult, but if you can maintain your cool during the toughest times and force yourself to believe you can do it all, trust me you will be able to do it all.
We’re All the Same
I come from Bangladesh, a small, developing country in Asia; a country whose culture and norms are very, very different from those in America. Therefore, for me the most difficult part in college was the process of embracing a totally new way of life than the one I had been living all my 17 years in Bangladesh. There were times when I was terribly homesick, and I longed to talk in my own language, eat home cooked food, and be with people who were similar to me. But the words of an orientation advisor kept me going. He told me that part of being a Longhorn, was to grab any challenges by the horns and conquer them.
After a year and a half in UT, I can proudly say that I did conquer that challenge. Not only have I learnt to accept a totally new culture, I have also managed to take in the good things from it, while retaining my identity as a Bangladeshi. The friends that I made here played a vital role in the process. Staying with them has made me realize that no matter how different our opinions are on culture and religion, at the very core we’re all the same…college students blossoming out from our teenage years and learning how to make our way in this very big, big world. And part of that learning comes from accepting new things and knowing how to bridge differences step by step by step as I have.
More about Saamiya
Favorites
- Place to eat on or near campus: Bubble Tea from Tapioca House, and the BIG FAT DELICIOUS burritos from Chipotle
- Pastimes / Recreational activity: Playing the guitar, watching anime, hanging out with friends, swimming
- Class: Introduction to Civil Engineering Systems (CE 301)
Academic major choice
I grew up in a family of civil engineers. From as long as I can remember, my dad would talk about civil engineering with such an infectious enthusiasm that it seemed as if it was the best subject in the world.
Also, I have always had a dream of turning my country into a rich prosperous developed country. One of the main reasons I think that our country is still poor is because it is lacking in infrastructure. So I felt that by learning civil engineering I would be a step closer to fulfilling my dream.
Send Saamiya an e-mail at msaamiya@mail.utexas.edu.
Updated 24 April 2008
