Meet the person behind the resume. This is my story, my interests, and my hobbies.

Origins

I've never had a clean answer to “where are you from?”

I was born in Calgary. My family is Harari, a small ethnic group from the old walled city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia. I grew up in Saudi Arabia before moving to Montreal for undergrad, and I now live in New York.

Home — born, heritage, livedVisitedWant to visit

Travel & Photography

I've been blessed with the ability to travel.

Somewhere along the way I started carrying a camera everywhere. I love to capture the beauty around me, and I post my favourite photos at @shot.by.nad.

Shot by Nad — @shot.by.nad
Shot by Nad — photograph 1Shot by Nad — photograph 2Shot by Nad — photograph 3Shot by Nad — photograph 4Shot by Nad — photograph 5Shot by Nad — photograph 6Shot by Nad — photograph 7Shot by Nad — photograph 8Shot by Nad — photograph 9Shot by Nad — photograph 10Shot by Nad — photograph 11Shot by Nad — photograph 12Shot by Nad — photograph 13Shot by Nad — photograph 14Shot by Nad — photograph 15Shot by Nad — photograph 16Shot by Nad — photograph 17

Sports

I grew up playing, and never stopped watching.

Sports are where I first learned about teams, pressure, and the long game. My allegiances, for better and (often) worse:

Real Madrid

Real Madrid

Hala Madrid

Arsenal

Arsenal

COYG

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers

Rip City — yes, really

Music

There's a soundtrack running under all of it.

Here's what's on rotation right now.

Faith

My faith is the quiet center of all of this.

My faith shapes how I think about time, work, risk, and what actually counts as success. It's what keeps me steady and is the lens behind a lot of what I do and write. A few lines I keep coming back to:

From the Qur'an

إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.

Qur'an 3:190 — Āl ʿImrān

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.

Qur'an 2:286 — al-Baqarah

From the Prophet ﷺ

مَنْ أَصْبَحَ مِنْكُمْ مُعَافًى فِي جَسَدِهِ آمِنًا فِي سِرْبِهِ عِنْدَهُ قُوتُ يَوْمِهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا حِيزَتْ لَهُ الدُّنْيَا

Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself, with food for the day, it is as if he acquired the whole world.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — Sunan al-Tirmidhī