👤Introduction
Welcome to my headquarters. I’m from Tunis, Tunisia. If you know Tataouin from Star Wars, it is a real place in my country where the film was shot.
I studied Data Science at the University of Rochester. Previously, I built products at Rockefeller, Amalthea FS, and Mos. Perpetually, I'm fascinated by the possibilities of technology for good, bad, and trivial.
I am currently a Fifth Year Scholar at UR.
🗓️Recap: 2024
January: Received $120,000 from Arbitrum Foundation to accelerate their university relations program. Here is a recap.
June - August : Software Engineering Internship at Rockefeller Capital Management
End of August : Spent two weeks in Colombia
Visited my good friend Owen in Baranquilla
Spent time in Santa Marta and did day trips to nearby parks and villages. Minca and Tayrona National Park were incredible, each offering its unique charm. Minca, a tiny village nestled in the hills above Santa Marta, felt like a hidden sanctuary. Exploring waterfalls, feasting on bandeja paisa, and enjoying the peaceful calm added layers to the charm. Tayrona National Park, on the other hand, was an adventure of its own. Hiking through rugged trails and boulder paths to reach the beaches was challenging but rewarding, but the best part was the horse rides. The walks, though muddy and tough at times, were genuinely beautiful. While Santa Marta itself didn’t leave much of an impression, the surrounding areas were a reminder of Colombia’s natural beauty and cultural richness.
Salento, nestled in Colombia's lush coffee region, was like stepping into a postcard. This charming little town became one of my favorite spots in the country, not just for its vibrant streets and welcoming locals but for the incredible natural wonders nearby. The highlight of my stay was visiting the Cocora Valley, home to the world’s tallest palm trees and the only palm tree forest in a mountain setting.
Hiking through the valley felt almost surreal—the wax palms, towering up to 200 feet, seemed to pierce the clouds. The scenery was unlike anything I’d ever seen, with misty mountain peaks and rolling green hills creating a dreamy backdrop. The hike itself was a mix of awe and challenge, with muddy paths, hanging bridges, and winding trails leading us deeper into this magical forest. Every turn brought a new perspective of these towering giants, and I couldn’t help but feel humbled by the sheer scale of it all.
After a long day of hiking, returning to Salento felt like coming home. The colorful colonial houses, lively square, and endless cups of rich local coffee made every evening special. I even got to visit a coffee farm to learn about the process from bean to cup—an experience that made every sip afterward even more meaningful. Salento was more than just a stop on my journey; it was a place that brought me closer to nature, culture, and a sense of calm I didn’t know I needed.
Palm trees are standing tall their whole life. They only fall when they die. And they fall all at ounce.
November : Attended DevCon at Bangkok as an Ethereum Fellow and hacked with my friend Eman
December:
- Started doing AI consulting for small & medium size business owners
- Shipped ML predictions to help the Rochester Fire Department optimize arrival time and got featured in the UR News
- Toured the South of Tunisia with my dad during the Douz Dessert Festival
- Spent a month with my family in Tunisia (the longest in 5 years)
🪅 Learnings: 2024
- How you do anything is how you do everything.
- Be where your feet are.
- While most would agree with Socrates that, "the unexamined life is not worth living," a lesser-known quote by Sheldon Kopp might be more important: "The unlived life is not worth examining
- It is harder to do easy things that do not matter than doing hard things that matter.
- Our twenties are the defining decade of adulthood. Forget about identity crisis. You need identity capital. Do things that add value to who you are.
- It is easier to do a hard thing that really matters than to do an easy thing that doesn’t really matter
- Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
- The confidence that overrides insecurity comes from experience. There is no other way.
- You can change your past by choosing your future. Everything is an interpretation.
- You can't be a builder and a pessimist. Creating is an active process to communicate ideas and obsessions that propel us forward. It is saying, "I am alive and I believe in a better world.”
- Privacy is a rich safe forest that allows mobilization and movement. Censorship is a barren lethal desert
- The biggest job of an early-stage startup is to live the next day. Startups are not killed by competition, they are only killed by founders.
- Authenticity is when social conformism is countered and the idiosyncrasy of work is destabilized. Authenticity is radical self-questioning. Cult alternative counter-culture today is just as capitalist and conformist.
- It is much easier to move into meditation from a place of sensing instead of thinking. Just take a few minutes to move or shake your body to shift your attention into feeling and the moment after this, you will be able to meditate without your brain screaming at you.
If you made it this far, thank you! I can't help but reflect on all the special experiences that shaped me in the past year. As the sun had set on my year of adventures, I carried the lessons I learned into my senior year at the University of Rochester. I am ready to embrace the seasons that lie ahead (even the snow) with a heart full of gratitude and ready for whatever comes next.
