Hussain Ahmad Mohammed (center) celebrates with Kavita Bala, dean of the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (left), and Nate Foster, professor of computer science (right), at the May 2023 Cornell Commencement.
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When Fulbright disappeared, Mohammad found opportunity at Cornell
By Patricia Waldron
In 2021, Hussain Ahmad Mohammad, M.Eng, ’23, thought a Fulbright scholarship was his ticket to advance his career and country. At the time, he was a Fulbright semifinalist with plans to study systems and networking at a U.S. university, then return to Afghanistan to improve internet access in rural areas.
But when the U.S. military pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban returned to power and diplomatic relations between the countries ended. For Mohammad and about 100 other Fulbright semifinalists, that ticket to the U.S. evaporated.
With support from the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, and a lot of hard work and persistence, Mohammad realized the first part of his plan and completed his Masters of Engineering in computer science. Now, he is heading to graduate school, where he hopes to tackle complex problems in the area of systems and networking – and perhaps one day improve internet connectivity for users everywhere.
“Cornell was a dream school for me,” he said. “Never in my dreams, I would have thought that I'll make it to Cornell.”
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