ABOUT ME

My interest in human behavior stemmed at a very young age. I had a wide variety of interests and involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities which put me in touch with people from many walks of life. These experiences enabled me to see the world from many different perspectives and through the eyes of many different cultures.

In 1993, I volunteered as a summer intern at a computer store where I learned the mechanics of a computer from both hardware and software perspectives. I also learned Logo and Basic for Mac and continued to learn design software and technologies as they became available. In the summer of 1994, a few of my childhood friends and I cleaned out the storage room of a video rental store. The agreement we had with the owner was that if we cleaned out the storage room, we could fill the empty space with our new business: a computer repair store. We marketed our computer store in all the local businesses and started fixing the neighborhood’s computers for a flat fee, regardless of the problem. In 1995, I volunteered for the Meridian Hotel in Amman and created a database system for them. They used this system to keep track of all the kitchen inventory that came in and out of the storage unit. Then I built my first website in 1996 which was presented on behalf of my Jordanian school in California. That year, I also grew an interest and developed my basketball skills significantly. Through developing my abilities and leadership skills, I was accepted on to various teams over the next few years including my high school team, the Al Riyadi (formerly known as Al Jazeera) professional team, the team representing the City of Amman, and the Junior National Jordanian team.

At the age of 16, I moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, initially to study Management Information Systems. I worked for the Center for Instructional Design as a developer for BYU's Online and Independent Study Courses. After 2 terms in that field, I met and worked with a professor in the Communications and Advertising department. This contact and mentorship helped me realize my true passion for marketing and understanding human behavior. I therefore changed my area of study that year and was admitted into the Advertising and Marketing program at BYU. During that time, I still worked for the Center for Instructional Design as a project manager overseeing the building of the courses while adding graphic design, video, and programming to my responsibilities. A few years later, I continued my education at Utah State University where I received a Masters in Business Administration. I also received a Certificate of Web and Print Design from the University of Utah.

Following my higher education, I worked at several places in several industries which diversified my experience and gave me the ability to gain an holistic view to business. My work enabled me to apply different perspectives while teaching and allowed me to connect more with the students.