Ali Salman

Academic

Career

Verbatim text

Ali Salman (i17-0350) 
 
A piece of machine instilled a sense of fascination in me even as a toddler and raised a series of 
exclamations on how incredibly it makes our life comfortable but also imprinted the “How” 
curiosity to it. During middle school, the quest to curiosity slowly began to unveil when we were 
supposed to take at least one class of Computer Science. Later in high school, the best thing I 
encountered was Visual Basic programming which further boosted my expedition for answers and 
passion for learning. Being the turning point of my life, it made me realize my inner potential and 
my true passion. 
With the motivation to grow in the field of Computer Science, I applied to multiple universities and 
was selected by FAST National University, Islamabad. I accepted the offer and came to Islamabad to 
pursue a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. At first, it was onerous to adjust in the 
competitive environment. The hostel life and homesickness were the main problems I was facing at 
the start. In the first week of university, I was depressed when I interacted with my fellows, most of 
them were from an A-Level background and I underrated myself and had a fear for my future. Fear 
of competition and homesickness oppressed me, and made me apply for the transfer application to 
the Karachi campus owing to it being near to my hometown, Hyderabad.  I tried my best, but it 
could not happen. As time passed by, I learned to grow with my classmates and after the first 
competitive exams I was sure that we all were on the same level, and it is solely the personal effort 
and willpower that help us grow. I’m thankful to my professors who admired me in any way, which 
helped me grow in the field of Computer Science. Most of them always encourage students to go 
deeper into the concepts of Computer Science, placed their hands on their shoulders and helped 
them when they needed them. Programming became my passion when I started to enjoy it. To 
remain self-motivated, I always completed my assignment and project first in my circle and then 
helped my friends to solve their issues and errors. It not only helped them but I also learnt a lot 
when I guided them and listened to their queries. I’m thankful to the community FAST has provided 
me. All my friends belong to a different region of Pakistan, they have a different mindset, culture, 
and strength. While spending my 4 years in between them, I learned their culture and acquired 
their good habits. 
It is my perception that entertainment and extracurricular activities are as important as studies. 
Before the time of COVID-19, I participated in NaSCon as a board member to arrange a Speed 
Programming Competition, and being a part of NUCS (National University Computing Society) I held 
seminars to help juniors understand programming. I enjoyed the assignments and projects of 
management courses i.e. AD designing, digitalizing current business, and social work. These