When Mostafa Mubarak stepped up to the podium at the University of Kentucky’s May 2026 Commencement Ceremony, he was one of only four students personally selected by UK President Eli Capilouto to represent the entire Class of 2026, and the only one chosen from the engineering college.
Mubarak, an international student from Alexandria, Egypt, was graduating with three degrees at once. He earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science simultaneously.
Though he arrived in the United States at just 17 with USD 1,000 (EGP 52,900) and a modest command of English, he still carried an ambition that most people his age did not have. Where most students are advised to take 19 credit hours per semester, Mubarak regularly took 22, with special dispensation from his academic advisor.
“I came here. I didn’t know much English. Kentucky was the right choice out of thousands. And I would do it a million times,” he said in his commencement speech.
“By every logical measure, I could have let myself be received as an outsider. Instead, I decided to take everything that this place has to offer unapologetically,” he added.
In a Zoom interview on the program Akher El-Nahar (End of the Day), aired Wednesday evening on Al-Nahar channel, Mubarak said that his primary goal was to make his father proud: “My dream was to amaze my dad. He had blind faith in me, and his words were what kept me going in the hardest of times.”
In four years, Mubarak balanced three demanding engineering disciplines while simultaneously building a presence as a campus leader and entrepreneur. He founded Jomo Figures, a startup that uses engineering and design to convert customer photographs into custom figurines.
He also co-founded the Students’ Association of the Middle East and North Africa at the UK, giving Arab and Middle Eastern students a structured community and support network on campus.
“Pour a bowl of KitKats and trust that all the good things meant for you will come,” he advised aspiring students and entrepreneurs.
Mubarak currently intends to remain in the United States, pursuing work authorization in order to formally build his entrepreneurial and software career. He plans to develop technical systems that serve humanity and make everyday life easier.
