Last fall, junior Yusuf Surur did something he didn’t think he would be doing when he was a freshman: rooting for the Cougars in the Apple Cup. Surur started his college career at the University of Washington, but after a couple years started to feel he would have more opportunities and get more of a complete college experience at WSU. “UW life is kind of like a large community college in the middle of a city,” he said. “I like the atmosphere over here more.”

Despite chiding from his UW friends, Surur says he had the last laugh. He’s enjoying school—and the Cougars won the Apple Cup! Surur quickly jumped into life as a Coug, joining the WSU chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and applying for a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates position to get a better look into research opportunities. “I really hope I get accepted. I think it would give me a better understanding of the field I am going into and show me first hand what research is all about,” he said. If his REU hopes don’t pan out, however, Surur still has a full plate for the summer. He’s looking into internships with public utility districts and is planning a family vacation to Alexandria, Egypt. “I really like to travel and my mom is from Egypt, so it will be nice to see where she grew up,” he said.

After graduation, Surur isn’t sure if he will continue on with academia and go to graduate school or if he will enter the work force in power engineering. What he does know is his ultimate goal: to own his own engineering firm, specializing in rebuilding devastated power infrastructure in places hit by natural disasters and helping build power infrastructure in struggling countries.

In the meantime, Surur is staying busy with school and says that he can focus his attention where it needs to be with the help of scholarships. “The Boeing Endowed Scholarship really helps me not worry about outside distractions like money for rent and food,” he said. “This is nice because as an engineering student you can’t work 20 hours a week outside of school and make the grades. I am really thankful and appreciative of this scholarship.” So what does a former Husky and newly christened Cougar say about a degree in engineering from WSU?  “Follow your heart. You have to have passion because it is not easy,” he says. “But don’t be scared. Try it out before you decide it’s too hard.”