From Sudan to Silicon Valley: Beyond the Resume
“I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere. Fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here.” — Taylor Swift — This is me trying
Uncharted Paths: A Journey from Sudan to Silicon Valley
In every field — whether you’re leading a tech team, launching a nonprofit, or producing a podcast — there’s a need for talented individuals who drive innovation and reimagine what’s possible. But what does “talent” truly mean? My journey has taught me that talent is about much more than credentials; it’s about resilience, connection, and the stories behind the skills.
I’ve seen people whose potential went unrecognized until someone took the time to understand their journeys — the hurdles they’ve faced, the drive that fuels them, and the unique ways they solve problems. For those invested in nurturing people’s best — whether in tech, education, or the arts — I want to share my story as a Sudanese who navigated from high school in Sudan to top tech and research institutions in the U.S. Not just a list of qualifications, but the obstacles I’ve overcome and the moments that shaped me.
From Curiosity to Code: What Really Drives My Work
I code because certain questions spark a curiosity I can’t ignore — they demand my attention. Sure, I can code, and I can explain technical concepts in depth, but that’s only part of it. If coding were just about ticking off problems on LeetCode, I could simply point to my profile and move on. And while LeetCode can measure skill, it’s not perfect; randomness and circumstance play a role, and I rank 716,619 on the platform. Still, my solution to the “Contiguous Subarray Sum” problem stands out, drawing comments like “This is what I call a god-tier explanation” and “What an explanation!” I don’t often share my solutions, but this one felt different — it was a chance to contribute something genuinely insightful.
Lately, I’ve taken on a small project to explore the hands-on side of today’s large language models (LLMs) using my 2015 MacBook Pro — a consumer-grade laptop not exactly built for heavy AI work. This project feels like a catch-up, as I missed the initial LLM wave, but diving in has shown just how accessible these tools have become. I combined OpenAI’s Speech Recognition API with a Mistral model through Ollama, layering in a user interface with Hugging Face libraries. It all works locally, and I plan to push the updated UI to GitHub soon. [DM me if you’re interested].
So, with all that said, what really drives me? Maybe it’s the feeling that each project, each problem, holds a hidden layer, and it’s my job to uncover it**.From a Sudanese Public School to a Full Ride in America: A Journey Against the Odds
My drive started early. In high school back in Sudan, I set a national record in the college entrance exams, scoring 98.3% — a record that still stands. This achievement opened the doors to the top engineering program at Sudan’s best university. But with political turmoil brewing, economic instability on the horizon, and university demonstrations pushing back against the regime (which only fell in 2019), I chose a different path: America.
It wasn’t an easy decision. Cultural expectations weighed heavily, but my family stood by me. Navigating the U.S. college admissions process on my own was a steep learning curve — I had to figure out what the SAT and TOEFL even were, and how to apply to universities from scratch. From July to December 2012, I had to rapidly improve my English skills to meet admission standards and prepare for the SAT, despite never having studied literature in English. Every subject I’d learned was in Arabic. Well… except for English class, but let’s just say that didn’t exactly prepare me for the SAT or even the TOEFL for that matter!
When I arrived at Jackson State University in 2013 on a full scholarship in computer engineering, I was already driven by a question that kept me up at night: “Why can’t we interact with computers as naturally as we talk to each other?” This curiosity led me into Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research. My first HCI internship was about improving fitness goal access in underserved communities — important work but not quite aligned with my real question.
The next summer, I joined MIT’s selective research program and worked on speech recognition for Egyptian Arabic. I thought it would bring me closer to natural language interaction, but I quickly realized it wasn’t just about speech-to-text; it was about understanding language itself. The following summer, I joined Apple’s Siri team, determined to solve Siri’s bugs. The challenges were immense, but I walked away with invaluable skills from communication across teams to picking up a new programming language and the importance of turning problems into solutions. I developed a tool for bug analysis that’s still in use today and was even recognized by Apple’s VP of Software Engineering Operations. But I felt the need to dive deeper into language understanding, especially across dialects and styles.
Grad School and the Struggle
By 2017, I was determined to get into a Ph.D. program, but rejection after rejection hit hard. I didn’t have the major publications or high-profile references that top programs wanted, and as an international student, my options were even more limited. It felt like every rejection chipped away at my confidence. I was hesitant to apply to another state school for grad studies, feeling stuck and desperate. But then an outreach program brought me to Georgia Tech. After a conversation where I laid out my internship efforts, one advisor saw potential in me and gave me a shot in their master’s program. Balancing coursework, research, and tight resources, however, quickly became overwhelming. Communication with that first advisor started to break down, and I found myself struggling. Eventually, I switched to another advisor who truly understood my situation and gave me the support I needed to thrive.
Around this time, I had a pivotal moment in my career: Yoshua Bengio, one of the world’s top AI researchers, invited me to intern at MILA after just a 30-minute interview. It was a validation I desperately needed, proof that my hard work and resilience were paying off. But as a Sudanese, visa rejections are practically a rite of passage — mine was no exception. The visa was denied, but I refused to be defeated by another border I couldn’t cross. I picked myself up, refocused, and sought new ways to make an impact while getting back to work with my newly supportive advisor.
Despite these setbacks, I found other ways to make an impact. During Sudan’s revolution, I ran a social media campaign that raised $10,000 to send top AI students from Sudan to a major AI conference in Africa. Many are now making strides at companies like Google, Meta, and Silicon Valley startups. By my final semesters, though, the struggle caught up with me — I was barely getting through. I left academia with two workshop papers and two Ph.D. offers in hand. The full story of my struggles during the master’s program is a tale for another day, but by the end, I was ready for something new. Craving a fresh start, I joined a startup in Atlanta.
Burnout, Health, and the Life Altering Diagnosis
The startup was a fast-paced environment where I wore multiple hats — tackling everything from speech recognition and data engineering to NLP. I took on projects that pushed my skills in new directions, like implementing extract-transform-load (ETL) processes for financial algorithms. This particular project, which involved creating data pipelines for a major client, helped me build technical confidence.
The startup experience was transformative. Navigating the alignment of technical goals with broader business strategies sharpened my communication skills and taught me the value of a clear vision. However, along the way, I faced serious mental health challenges that led to several hospitalizations, compounded by immigration issues that complicated things further. Recovering during the COVID quarantine wasn’t easy; finding the right balance with psych medications is a long journey. And as I was finally regaining stability, my startup faced layoffs, closing that chapter.
There was still a lot on my plate — health to sort out and immigration hurdles to clear. With the U.S. system more backed up than ever, it took over a year before I could finally get the green light to work again. Once things were in place, though, I managed to land a short contract position at Mesa Associates in Tennessee within a few months as an Analytics and AI Technical Specialist, which in reality, was solutions engineering in action.
The Mesa Experience and a Return to Focus
At Mesa, I joined an ambitious AI project aimed at automating the inspection of electrical equipment from drone images, identifying whether structures or transmission line equipment were in good condition. The project, a collaboration with Oracle, was to be implemented entirely on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and designed with a low-code approach. The challenges were significant, involving deep knowledge of power systems and electrical engineering — areas I was eager to dive into but had limited experience with. Though my time on the project was brief, it underscored the importance of a collaborative, growth-oriented environment and reinforced my commitment to roles where AI has a strong foundation for real-world applications.
When my time at Mesa concluded, I set my sights back on tech, only to encounter an industry hit hard by layoffs. Recognizing the need to prioritize my health, I paused, recharging before reentering the job search. Now, with my health and drive at their best, I’m ready to reconnect — whether in a role, a partnership, or a project where we can build something impactful together. Energized, focused, and open to meaningful opportunities, I look forward to what we could create.
If my journey resonates with you or if there’s a way we could work together, let’s connect.
My email is myfirstname.mymiddleinitial.mylastname@gmail.com.
My twitter. My LinkedIn
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Graduation From Master’s in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, Jun 2019