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Student Profile - Shuraih Latifi - EE

Shuraih Latifi calls leaving India to pursue a master’s degree at The University of Texas at Arlington the best decision he’s ever made. “This is the experience of a lifetime!” says the 20-year-old electrical engineering graduate student.

Of the nearly 6,100 graduate students admitted last fall, Shuraih was one of just five under age 21. Only 82 students under 21 have initiated graduate studies at UT Arlington since 2000. They represent less than 1 percent of all graduate students over an eight-year period.

The youngest of four children, Shuraih is used to being around older people. Born in Hyderabad in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, he describes his family as fun, supportive and education focused. “My mother gave me the freedom to study whatever I wanted,” Shuraih said. “I am extremely grateful to her for providing me with everything that I ever needed.” He remains grateful for those options, because Indian students cannot change their majors once the decision is made and the program started, he said.

Shuraih began his educational journey at one of the oldest Montessori schools in India, Taraporewala Montessori House of Children. Shuraih became active in several science and literature groups during his elementary and high school years at Springfields School. He served as the school secretary for PEAS, an environmental awareness group, and was an active member of the World Wide Fund for Nature. He also earned the Young Scientist award.

“That school really helped me develop into a creative and bold person,” he said. “I had opportunities where I interacted closely with scientists, got to meet inventors and once presented my ideas directly to the governor himself!” In high school, he was named school captain and won two gold medals for academic performance. Captain, similar to a valedictorian in America, is a springboard for college.

Local media focused on his accomplishments because he was younger than his classmates, and the school had required his parents to sign special documents authorizing his admission.

The young achiever then attended St. Mary’s Junior College and completed undergraduate studies at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, where he studied electronics and communications engineering at Al-Habeeb College of Engineering and Technology. Once again he became a class representative, carried good academic scores and participated actively in many campus activities.

Shuraih chose UT Arlington for graduate studies after searching American universities on the Internet. The College of Engineering and the library facilities impressed him. “To have access to just about anything in print in the world is the life!” he said. “I could spend hours and hours at that library.”

He shared his love of books and library information with a student organization called NexT – Not EXactly Traditional students. His age qualified him for membership, and he once again stepped into a leadership role. As the group’s new president, he enjoys interacting with diverse age ranges. “People are really fun here,” said Shuraih. “I was so surprised because the media usually portray Americans as something else.”