Zubaria Ayub

Academic

Career

Verbatim text

Zubaria Ayub (i17-0231) 
 
Coming to FAST was a very unexpected decision considering how I dreamt of going to NUST for as 
long as university existed in my world. I still remember telling my father, ‘I am telling you with a 
heavy heart that I choose to go to FAST, not NUST because it’s better for CS. Please bear with my 
rants but this is my final decision.’ To this day, I don’t regret my decision. I started off as a 
somewhat arrogant bookworm and today I am a leader, an adviser, a team player, and proud of my 
transformation. This wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for FAST and everyone associated 
with it. It’s an emotional journey that I would love to document in deep detail someday but this 
opportunity, the honor of this 500 word space in the Graduate Directory shall serve as a precis. 
FAST is well known for its ‘raggra’ and I must say that the foundations for this publicity are not 
weak. Day after day, week after week, month after month, and ofcourse semester after semester, 
FAST did not fail to throw a new challenge at us, the students. While going through all that, the end 
of the world seemed like it was right around the corner but as the semester ended, we were able to 
sigh in relief for missing the end of the world by a millimeter. And without even realizing it, we’ve 
come out as polished individuals. 
Another well-known fact about FAST is how helpful and approachable our faculty is. And through 
these amazing faculty members I was able to attain priceless internship experience without having 
to step into the private industry. My internships are with Info Systems Lab to develop a scheduling 
engine for newspaper delivery and with Nexsys Lab working on mobile app development. Not only 
were they a chance to learn technical skills but also groom myself on the soft skills front as well. 
Very early on during the degree, I realized I want to do more than just academia. However, I was 
intimidated by interviews and never showed up for them. One fine day, a senior called to ask me to 
show up for an interview and that’s when I stumbled upon NaSCon. Things went only uphill from 
there. I gained so many soft skills such as team work, team leadership, and time management 
under the umbrella of NaSCon and it also paved the way for me to join NUCS. And today, I am 
eternally grateful to be the first female President of NUCS which has led to some pivotal changes in 
the standard of how societies should be run. 
Today, I am happy that 4 years ago I chose FAST for its repute in the industry and got a lot more 
than just the affiliation with the good name. I made epic memories, found amazing friends, and last 
but not least, grew to become a person I am proud of in all aspects. There is surely a long way to go 
still but I feel ready to face the world especially after a roller coaster of 4 years. A few months ago, 
while the realization of the degree ending was still far away, I didn’t think I would say this but thank 
you FAST, for everything.

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