July 30, 2024 • 18 mins
Chancellor May chats with transfer student and computer science major Ahmed Eltayeb in this episode. Among his many endeavors, Eltayeb started his own media production company, Five Percent Studios, to tell the stories of the Black student experience at UC Davis. The two connect over being a part of the National Society of Black Engineers, and Eltayeb gives Chancellor May some music recommendations.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hi, my name is Ahmed Eltayeb.
I’m an undergraduate student at UC
Davis majoring in computer science
(00:23):
and minoring in economics.
I joined UC Davis in 2023 as
a transfer student and have since
immersed myself in various
activities that blend technology
and community engagement.
I founded Five Percent Studios, a
platform dedicated to showing the
experience of Black students at UC
Davis through multimedia
storytelling, aiming to foster
community and representation.
Additionally, I serve as the
(00:43):
director of communication for the
Associated Students of University of
California, Davis, where I manage
campuswide social media strategy.
My passion lies at the intersection
of technology, social media and
storytelling, and I am committed to
use these tools to create impactful
content that enhances our
campus community.
(01:05):
Welcome to “Face to Face,” Ahmed.
Nice to meet you.
It’s an honor.
It’s great to have you.
And usually it’s been —
you’ve been interviewing
me for the past several times we’ve
met. ... Yes, sir. ...
Now we’re flipping the script a bit,
and I’m going to interview you.
I hope you’re up for it.
Yes, sir.
Good, good.
Just to start things off, I know
that you’re interested in the
stories about the Black student
experience here at UC Davis.
(01:25):
Yes, sir.
Tell me more about some of thosestories
you’ve heard and you’ve been telling.
Tell me about Five Percent Studios
and how that got started and the
magazine “Rooted” — all of that.
I want to hear about it.
Yeah, sounds good. So as you’ve seen
from the intro, I came as a transfer
student from Oakland
and Laney College.
And then after that, when I came
to UC Davis — I chose UC Davis,
to be honest, because I
(01:46):
feel like it’s more of like a
family.
It’s not just like an education
system. It’s more of like a family.
And I did my research on like a lot
of the schools. UC Davis just
resonated with me. And as soon as I
came for the first orientation and
it says, “You belong here,” that
thing stick[s] with me a lot.
So I was like, you know what?
I do belong here, and I want to make
an impactful voice.
That’s why I created Five Percent
(02:07):
Studios.
It’s listed on my mission statement
as about representing the
underrepresented.
So like, as you know, more than —
[there is] less than 5% of Black
people here in UC Davis.
And that’s why hence the name (02:17):
Five
Percent Studios.
So I’m just trying to showcase the
Black people, and I’m trying to put
Davis on the map, because every
time I go on YouTube, I go on
Instagram, I go on TikTok, whatever
it is, I don’t see as
much of Black content here
as much as possible.
And I know that there is people
that have voices, and I
need to make sure these voices
(02:39):
are heard.
That’s why I started Five Percent
Studios. And with “Rooted” —
I’m not part of “Rooted” — but I’m
affiliated with “Rooted” through my
friend named Nile.
And Nile is also part of Five
Percent Studios.
So he brought me on this project
called “What Means the Most to You”
as a TV series.
And “Rooted” is a Black magazine
here at UC Davis that’s created by
Nile.
So I joined because,
(03:02):
I still feel honored because he
brought me in as the first person on
the show to speak about what means
the most to me, and I spoke about my
faith and that resonated with
a lot of people at UC Davis.
And every time I go around they’d be
like, wow, you actually,
this means a lot to me.
And like, faith is very important in
my life, and that’s what pushes me.
And I did not know how big of an
impact it made on a lot of people.
(03:24):
I just did it because I just want
to show people that
having a faith and just having a
story to tell means a lot.
And that just impacted like a lot of
people. And
so that’s why I want to keep doing
stuff like that that impacts people
and be
inspired, you know, and just be
inspired.
I can relate to much of what you
(03:45):
said. I also consider myself a
spiritual person, a person of faith.
So that’s very important and what
drives me too.
I will say that I’m glad that you
came to UC Davis now because if
you’d come when I started here
in 2017, Five Percent Studios
would be Two Percent Studios.
...
Yes. ...
We have made some progress in the
seven years and hopefully the number
keeps going up.
(04:05):
Tell me about why amplifying
Black voices and building
community — why that’s important to
you, and why it’s important to all
of us.
Building a community is — that’s
what keeps us together.
And that’s what’s pushing us
forward.
If we’re not — if we keep doing
individual stuff,
then how are we going to go far?
(04:26):
Building a community means we’re
building a family. We’re building
spiritual, and then we’re connecting
people from around the world.
So, I’m Sudanese,
so I bring my culture to
whoever I can — to Nigerians.
Like I connect with everybody.
We need to connect, because in
Islam is like we connect.
We are one.
(04:46):
We need to all go together
and grow up together as a team.
Because if you want to go far, go by
yourself — no, I mean like if you
want to go fast, go by yourself.
But if you need to go like
ahead and like keep going, go with
a team. And that’s like building a
community means a lot to me because
everybody can respect each other.
Everybody can like learn from each
different culture.
(05:06):
And they can like push forward
with whatever
the goal is.
I hope that answered the question.
It does. That’s actually one of my
favorite proverbs.
If you want to go far, go with
others.
You and I have something in common.
We are both members of the National
Society of Black Engineers. ...
Go NSBE. ...
I’m a lifetime member.
I was former national chair and
former chair of the National
Advisory Board.
(05:27):
So I’m really excited that you’re
involved with that organization as
well.
What has been the most valuable
aspect of your involvement with NSBE
so far?
So far, before coming to UC
Davis, I used to for the past three
years, I’ve been going to NSBE,
National Society of Black Engineers.
So I’ve been a member because
it gives you —
(05:48):
it gives me an alternative eye that
I can get connected
with these big tech companies,
because, as you know, being
a person of color is very
difficult to reach out to these
tech companies. So having NSBE
around — actually at first,
I did not know what NSBE was about.
It was one of my cousins that told
me about it. He was like, you got to
(06:09):
go to — his name is Khalid — he told
me, go to NSBE
and you’ll get the opportunities.
A person like you, especially
in the tech world, it’s very
difficult for a colored person to
get the position.
So there’s something called NSBE.
Go to NSBE and get these connect.
The first year that I went, I was
just there just to see
what NSBE is about, and I
got to learn from them and ask
(06:30):
people from there, OK, what is NSBE
about? I started networking first.
Because at first, I didn’t have a
resume. I didn’t even know what a
resume was, and I didn’t know
how to build up like my professional
standards to a company kind of
level.
So the first NSBE I was just
networking, networking, networking
with people. Second NSBE, I went,
I had a little bit of understanding
about what NSBE is about.
So I went there with the school and
(06:51):
started like networking.
Through my network, I got a couple
interviews with Boeing and SpaceX,
because now I know how to like talk
to recruiters, especially, and how
to keep building up that
relationship.
Third time, that’s when I went to
Atlanta, Georgia, and that’s when
I met you, and I went with the whole
school. It just, NSBE is
the best thing ever for — how
(07:15):
can I say it?
It’s like the best thing for
somebody that’s in STEM to go there
and explore, just to network.
Even if you don’t get a job
opportunity, just go network because
your network is your net worth.
That’s what I came to realize.
Your network is your net worth.
Like you got to just talk to people.
Talk. OK, what do you do?
What do you do? Tell me about your
story. Tell me about this.
Why did you join NSBE?
That’s why I just love NSBE,
(07:35):
connecting with other people.
Yeah. You know, the NSBE folks are
going to use this interview as a
testimonial on their channels I’m
sure, but ...
Oh, yeah. ...
You know, your
network is your net worth.
I like that saying as well.
I’m going to use that.
And there’s a couple of other
benefits that you didn’t mention.
One is my
wife and I, Mrs. May, we met through
(07:56):
NSBE, so that’s another side benefit
that you might take advantage of at
some point. Or not.
Yes.
The other one is mentoring.
I think mentoring is so important.
That’s true. ...
And, you know, surgeon general,
former Surgeon General Joycelyn
Elders said, “You can’t be what you
can’t see.” So maybe
let’s talk about mentoring
and if you’ve ever personally
benefited from mentoring or if
(08:17):
you’ve mentored some younger
students, maybe some high school
students yourself.
Yes, I did mentor actually a lot of
my family members that
were upcoming.
And I did try
to mentor them. The first thing that
I always say is do everything
with an open heart.
And always be grateful.
Always be grateful, because being
nice goes a very long way.
(08:38):
Being nice does go a very long way.
That’s the first rule that I always
say with everybody that I’m
mentoring (08:42):
Be nice and do everything
with a grateful heart, because you
don’t know what that person has.
Very true, very true.
People may not always agree with
you, but they can — you should be
able to be nice to them.
And they should be able to say, I
met a nice person even though I
didn’t necessarily vibe with them.
...
Exactly. ...
So you’re a computer science major?
Yes, sir.
What kind of technologies are you
(09:03):
interested in? What are you excited
about?
How are you preparing for your
future career in computer science?
I’m interested in AI, artificial
intelligence.
The main reason I’m interested in AI
because it’s just every time
I see new technology — because
I’ve been a nerd,
a nerd for AI for a very long
time. I just get impressed by
technology. And since I was a little
(09:23):
kid, I’m always taking
my phone, taking my mom’s phone, and
just tearing it apart, seeing about
what the technology is about.
And I was so surprised when the
first iPod came out.
I was like, wow, this is digital.
And so my mom always
see that when I was young.
I always had a different eye,
a different perspective on like
anything. The main reason I want to
do AI now because I want to help the
(09:44):
world.
Because there’s two ways of AI (09:45):
It
could be like helpful to the world
and it could be harmful to the
world.
I’m trying to build AI to help
the world. In case when it comes to
like either car technology or like
phone technology or just making it
easy — especially for
disability, disabled people, I wantto help them.
How can AI help them as
much as possible?
And then at the same time, help AI
in third world countries like
(10:07):
my country Sudan, like help other
countries that don’t have that
technology. Help them
either in like the medical field —
it can be just like in mechanical.
It can be whatever form
of way. I’m just trying to do AI to
help them as much as possible and
beneficial.
Yeah, well keep that motivation and
keep that drive because, you know,
the nerds will inherit the earth, is
my saying.
We have a little tradition that we
(10:27):
do on “Face to Face.” We call it
“Hot Seat.”
Yes, sir.
And what that means is I will ask
you several rapid-fire questions.
And I’m just looking for a
very short answer, one-word,
one-sentence ...
Yes, sir. ...
sort of answer. So you ready?
Yes, sir.
OK.
Who would you most like to meet,
alive or not?
It would probably be my mother.
Yeah, probably be my mother.
(10:47):
Tell me about that.
Hey, mom, if you see this, I love
you. Whatever.
Which camera? I love you, mom.
It’s my mother.
My mother has been my
best friend, and
she’s just been my world for
everything. She supports me through
everything that I’m doing right now.
And it’s definitely also my
family, too, but it’s just mostly my
(11:08):
mother, because she believes
in me.
And when I came here at 17 years old
in America, no guidance, no nothing,
she was there to support me.
She’s still back home in Sudan.
But due to the war, she moved to
Egypt.
OK.
But like, she’s always been there
for me and always supports me in
every decision that I do.
And I just love you, mom.
Yeah.
Yeah, I like that. You know, I was
(11:29):
very close to my mother. My mother
passed away a couple months ago and
we were very, very close.
So I can relate to that as well.
Yes, sir.
OK. What’s been your favorite
class you’ve had at UC Davis?
Favorite class?
To be honest, all my classes are
favorites. Like it’s just, you learn
something new from professors every
single time.
Like I can’t pinpoint which classes
(11:49):
specifically, but all my classes
have just been a learning curve.
Like it’s been just new and just
like learning and then talking to
professors about their
research, about everything in
general. I just feel
interested.
Just every time I go, I’ll be like,
wow, this is. This
is nice.
So I’ll tell all our CS faculty all
your classes are great.
(12:10):
Oh, yes. All my classes are great.
All my classes are great.
OK, favorite hobby?
Photography.
I was going to say photography.
Photography, videography. Yeah,that’s why Five Percent.
Best spot
for coffee, boba or tea?
You know, I’m not really a coffee
person or a tea person, neither a
boba.
Nothing.
What’s your drink of choice?
(12:30):
Water.
Water. OK.
Drink your water, guys.
Drink your water.
You will stay healthy.
Yeah, it’s just strictly water.
OK, my favorite question, I ask this
of every guest (12:38):
...
Yes, sir. ...
What artists or songs are on your
playlist right now?
OK, so it’s a Sudanese
artist.
His name is Mohammed al Amin.
He passed away, but my favorite song
by him is called “The
Letter of Your Name.” It’s called
“Huroof Esmk.” That’s my favorite
song about him.
But if we’re talking about an
American, probably my favorite
(12:59):
artist is Reach Justice.
And he’s actually a student here
at UC Davis.
And my favorite song by him is
“Drownin’ in Tears.”
Wow. OK. Yeah.
I have not heard his music yet.
I’m going to look for it though.
Oh, yeah. I’ll definitely send you
some.
... Send me a link. ... Yeah. Andthen if it’s
like outside in the hip hop world,
J. Cole.
J. Cole. Yeah. My daughter likes J.
Cole.
What’s your favorite?
(13:19):
I’m a Stevie Wonder fan.
I’m old school, you know.
He’s been my favorite artist since I
was your age.
Do you listen to Usher?
I’ve had a few Usher songs.
We have a good family friend who’s
one of Usher’s dancers.
So we’ve been to an Usher concert
recently and maybe going again,
actually. Usher’s from Atlanta ...
Oh, invite me too!
... where we used to live, so my
daughter has met, my youngest
daughter has met Usher.
Wow.
(13:41):
That’s beautiful.
OK, that’s my questions.
Any questions you want to ask me?
Yes, sir.
I do.
So
one of the questions is about —
that I want to ask you is how do you
think social media has influenced
the conversation around racism?
And what role do you believe
it plays in both combining and
sustaining racial issues?
(14:02):
And how do you manage racism in your
role as well?
Yeah. All great questions.
Social media has really been
a transformative
technology for our society.
But it’s a double-edged sword,
because you can say anything
you want anytime to any audience.
And that’s the good news.
It democratizes communication.
But the bad news is you can say
(14:23):
anything you want at any time to any
audience. ... Yes, sir. ...
So, you know, it’s not regulated.
So a lot of the things that people
say on social media are
more negative than they need to be.
And with respect to race, that’s
true because I think people are in
their
silos, in
their boxes, with their own
communities talking to each other.
And then some have particular
(14:44):
opinions about race.
And then there’s another group
that’s inside their silo
talking to each other.
And they’re not necessarily talking
across boundaries and having
good communication that will help
society get better.
So that’s one of the downsides.
But, you know, I use social media,
you know that, and I think
it can be a positive tool
that can be
(15:05):
beneficial if used
with constructive objectives
in mind.
And how do you like view racism in
your role?
Like you as a chancellor so far?
You know, I think one of the
misconceptions I think people have
is that when you get to a certain
level, racism is no longer
a factor.
But I like to remind people that,
you know, if I’m at a traffic stop
or whatever,
(15:27):
I’m not viewed or known as
a chancellor or somebody with a
Ph.D. I’m just a Black man like
you are. And, race, I’m affected
by racism just like
everyone else.
So, you know, one of my
strong, high priorities throughout
my life has been to
fight racism any way I can
and however I can.
That’s sort of been
(15:48):
in addition to my research interests
and other things that I do
professionally.
That’s been my
motivation for — and will continue
to be until it’s no longer an issue.
OK, 100%.
And then my second question would be
what advice do you want to give to
somebody who wants to stand out and
excel in a competitive environment?
Like for you example?
You know, I think the most important
thing is to find your passion and
(16:09):
follow it.
I think you’re never really going to
be successful doing something you
don’t enjoy doing.
It’ll be like drudgery, and you’ll
never really be able to realize your
full potential doing it.
So identify that
passion and just follow it to
the end as long as you can.
That’s very good, actually.
I agree with you on that.
Follow what you love and
(16:30):
you do. Yeah. And do it always
with a grateful heart.
Exactly.
Yeah. And I’d like to conclude
this (16:36):
What advice do you want to
give me for starting like my own
Five Percent Studios company?
Well again, I think a
big part of success is
failure, learning how
to fail and learning from failure.
So I think anyone
who you find who’s been successful,
they’ll tell you they’ve had many
bad ideas that didn’t work.
But they were able to get past
(16:57):
those, learn from those, and
apply what they learned and get
better. So I think with Five Percent
or anything else that you’re
going to be doing, recognize
you won’t get it right every time
but use those failures to make
your ultimate objectives
occur.
OK. Thank you very much for this
advice, because I’ve been asking
(17:18):
a lot of mentors and people ahead of
me, but it’s just — it’s
very scary at first because
I failed many times in order to get
this. Because before starting
actually Five Percent, I had many
companies before that.
And it just I kept trying, trying,
trying, trying and learning from my
best. But it just, it’s reached
a certain point where like you need
advice on and especially a person
(17:39):
like you — you’re UC Davis
chancellor — and like you’d met
through a lot of difficulties, and
you just ramp up.
So how do you manage that, you know?
The other part of it is find —
we talked about it before — finding
a mentor.
And mentorship is so important.
Anybody who’s been successful — they
do these surveys of Fortune 500 CEOs
and others — and they’ll tell you
(18:00):
what’s been most pivotal in
their own success, their own
pathway, has been having a mentor or
a sponsor that helped them get where
they are. So that’d be my other
piece of advice.
So do both of those things.
Sounds good. Thank you very much,
I have a lot of confidence that you
will be successful. ...
Thank you. Thank you, I appreciate
that a lot.
Yeah. And shout out Five Percent
Studios.
Yeah, absolutely. Always got to be
branding.
Yeah. Shout out Five Percent Studios.
(18:22):
Where’s my T-shirt?
Coming soon, coming soon.
Merch coming soon.
Shout out to my team.
But they’re coming soon.
All right, I’ll be looking for it.
And I want to just thank everyone
for watching me and Ahmed have this
conversation.
We’ll see you next time on “Face to
Face.” Go Ags.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
(18:42):
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”
Go, Ags!
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hi, my name is Ahmed Eltayeb.
I’m an undergraduate student at UC
Davis majoring in computer science
(00:23):
and minoring in economics.
I joined UC Davis in 2023 as
a transfer student and have since
immersed myself in various
activities that blend technology
and community engagement.
I founded Five Percent Studios, a
platform dedicated to showing the
experience of Black students at UC
Davis through multimedia
storytelling, aiming to foster
community and representation.
Additionally, I serve as the
(00:43):
director of communication for the
Associated Students of University of
California, Davis, where I manage
campuswide social media strategy.
My passion lies at the intersection
of technology, social media and
storytelling, and I am committed to
use these tools to create impactful
content that enhances our
campus community.
(01:05):
Welcome to “Face to Face,” Ahmed.
Nice to meet you.
It’s an honor.
It’s great to have you.
And usually it’s been —
you’ve been interviewing
me for the past several times we’ve
met. ... Yes, sir. ...
Now we’re flipping the script a bit,
and I’m going to interview you.
I hope you’re up for it.
Yes, sir.
Good, good.
Just to start things off, I know
that you’re interested in the
stories about the Black student
experience here at UC Davis.
(01:25):
Yes, sir.
Tell me more about some of thosestories
you’ve heard and you’ve been telling.
Tell me about Five Percent Studios
and how that got started and the
magazine “Rooted” — all of that.
I want to hear about it.
Yeah, sounds good. So as you’ve seen
from the intro, I came as a transfer
student from Oakland
and Laney College.
And then after that, when I came
to UC Davis — I chose UC Davis,
to be honest, because I
(01:46):
feel like it’s more of like a
family.
It’s not just like an education
system. It’s more of like a family.
And I did my research on like a lot
of the schools. UC Davis just
resonated with me. And as soon as I
came for the first orientation and
it says, “You belong here,” that
thing stick[s] with me a lot.
So I was like, you know what?
I do belong here, and I want to make
an impactful voice.
That’s why I created Five Percent
(02:07):
Studios.
It’s listed on my mission statement
as about representing the
underrepresented.
So like, as you know, more than —
[there is] less than 5% of Black
people here in UC Davis.
And that’s why hence the name (02:17):
Five
Percent Studios.
So I’m just trying to showcase the
Black people, and I’m trying to put
Davis on the map, because every
time I go on YouTube, I go on
Instagram, I go on TikTok, whatever
it is, I don’t see as
much of Black content here
as much as possible.
And I know that there is people
that have voices, and I
need to make sure these voices
(02:39):
are heard.
That’s why I started Five Percent
Studios. And with “Rooted” —
I’m not part of “Rooted” — but I’m
affiliated with “Rooted” through my
friend named Nile.
And Nile is also part of Five
Percent Studios.
So he brought me on this project
called “What Means the Most to You”
as a TV series.
And “Rooted” is a Black magazine
here at UC Davis that’s created by
Nile.
So I joined because,
(03:02):
I still feel honored because he
brought me in as the first person on
the show to speak about what means
the most to me, and I spoke about my
faith and that resonated with
a lot of people at UC Davis.
And every time I go around they’d be
like, wow, you actually,
this means a lot to me.
And like, faith is very important in
my life, and that’s what pushes me.
And I did not know how big of an
impact it made on a lot of people.
(03:24):
I just did it because I just want
to show people that
having a faith and just having a
story to tell means a lot.
And that just impacted like a lot of
people. And
so that’s why I want to keep doing
stuff like that that impacts people
and be
inspired, you know, and just be
inspired.
I can relate to much of what you
(03:45):
said. I also consider myself a
spiritual person, a person of faith.
So that’s very important and what
drives me too.
I will say that I’m glad that you
came to UC Davis now because if
you’d come when I started here
in 2017, Five Percent Studios
would be Two Percent Studios.
...
Yes. ...
We have made some progress in the
seven years and hopefully the number
keeps going up.
(04:05):
Tell me about why amplifying
Black voices and building
community — why that’s important to
you, and why it’s important to all
of us.
Building a community is — that’s
what keeps us together.
And that’s what’s pushing us
forward.
If we’re not — if we keep doing
individual stuff,
then how are we going to go far?
(04:26):
Building a community means we’re
building a family. We’re building
spiritual, and then we’re connecting
people from around the world.
So, I’m Sudanese,
so I bring my culture to
whoever I can — to Nigerians.
Like I connect with everybody.
We need to connect, because in
Islam is like we connect.
We are one.
(04:46):
We need to all go together
and grow up together as a team.
Because if you want to go far, go by
yourself — no, I mean like if you
want to go fast, go by yourself.
But if you need to go like
ahead and like keep going, go with
a team. And that’s like building a
community means a lot to me because
everybody can respect each other.
Everybody can like learn from each
different culture.
(05:06):
And they can like push forward
with whatever
the goal is.
I hope that answered the question.
It does. That’s actually one of my
favorite proverbs.
If you want to go far, go with
others.
You and I have something in common.
We are both members of the National
Society of Black Engineers. ...
Go NSBE. ...
I’m a lifetime member.
I was former national chair and
former chair of the National
Advisory Board.
(05:27):
So I’m really excited that you’re
involved with that organization as
well.
What has been the most valuable
aspect of your involvement with NSBE
so far?
So far, before coming to UC
Davis, I used to for the past three
years, I’ve been going to NSBE,
National Society of Black Engineers.
So I’ve been a member because
it gives you —
(05:48):
it gives me an alternative eye that
I can get connected
with these big tech companies,
because, as you know, being
a person of color is very
difficult to reach out to these
tech companies. So having NSBE
around — actually at first,
I did not know what NSBE was about.
It was one of my cousins that told
me about it. He was like, you got to
(06:09):
go to — his name is Khalid — he told
me, go to NSBE
and you’ll get the opportunities.
A person like you, especially
in the tech world, it’s very
difficult for a colored person to
get the position.
So there’s something called NSBE.
Go to NSBE and get these connect.
The first year that I went, I was
just there just to see
what NSBE is about, and I
got to learn from them and ask
(06:30):
people from there, OK, what is NSBE
about? I started networking first.
Because at first, I didn’t have a
resume. I didn’t even know what a
resume was, and I didn’t know
how to build up like my professional
standards to a company kind of
level.
So the first NSBE I was just
networking, networking, networking
with people. Second NSBE, I went,
I had a little bit of understanding
about what NSBE is about.
So I went there with the school and
(06:51):
started like networking.
Through my network, I got a couple
interviews with Boeing and SpaceX,
because now I know how to like talk
to recruiters, especially, and how
to keep building up that
relationship.
Third time, that’s when I went to
Atlanta, Georgia, and that’s when
I met you, and I went with the whole
school. It just, NSBE is
the best thing ever for — how
(07:15):
can I say it?
It’s like the best thing for
somebody that’s in STEM to go there
and explore, just to network.
Even if you don’t get a job
opportunity, just go network because
your network is your net worth.
That’s what I came to realize.
Your network is your net worth.
Like you got to just talk to people.
Talk. OK, what do you do?
What do you do? Tell me about your
story. Tell me about this.
Why did you join NSBE?
That’s why I just love NSBE,
(07:35):
connecting with other people.
Yeah. You know, the NSBE folks are
going to use this interview as a
testimonial on their channels I’m
sure, but ...
Oh, yeah. ...
You know, your
network is your net worth.
I like that saying as well.
I’m going to use that.
And there’s a couple of other
benefits that you didn’t mention.
One is my
wife and I, Mrs. May, we met through
(07:56):
NSBE, so that’s another side benefit
that you might take advantage of at
some point. Or not.
Yes.
The other one is mentoring.
I think mentoring is so important.
That’s true. ...
And, you know, surgeon general,
former Surgeon General Joycelyn
Elders said, “You can’t be what you
can’t see.” So maybe
let’s talk about mentoring
and if you’ve ever personally
benefited from mentoring or if
(08:17):
you’ve mentored some younger
students, maybe some high school
students yourself.
Yes, I did mentor actually a lot of
my family members that
were upcoming.
And I did try
to mentor them. The first thing that
I always say is do everything
with an open heart.
And always be grateful.
Always be grateful, because being
nice goes a very long way.
(08:38):
Being nice does go a very long way.
That’s the first rule that I always
say with everybody that I’m
mentoring (08:42):
Be nice and do everything
with a grateful heart, because you
don’t know what that person has.
Very true, very true.
People may not always agree with
you, but they can — you should be
able to be nice to them.
And they should be able to say, I
met a nice person even though I
didn’t necessarily vibe with them.
...
Exactly. ...
So you’re a computer science major?
Yes, sir.
What kind of technologies are you
(09:03):
interested in? What are you excited
about?
How are you preparing for your
future career in computer science?
I’m interested in AI, artificial
intelligence.
The main reason I’m interested in AI
because it’s just every time
I see new technology — because
I’ve been a nerd,
a nerd for AI for a very long
time. I just get impressed by
technology. And since I was a little
(09:23):
kid, I’m always taking
my phone, taking my mom’s phone, and
just tearing it apart, seeing about
what the technology is about.
And I was so surprised when the
first iPod came out.
I was like, wow, this is digital.
And so my mom always
see that when I was young.
I always had a different eye,
a different perspective on like
anything. The main reason I want to
do AI now because I want to help the
(09:44):
world.
Because there’s two ways of AI (09:45):
It
could be like helpful to the world
and it could be harmful to the
world.
I’m trying to build AI to help
the world. In case when it comes to
like either car technology or like
phone technology or just making it
easy — especially for
disability, disabled people, I wantto help them.
How can AI help them as
much as possible?
And then at the same time, help AI
in third world countries like
(10:07):
my country Sudan, like help other
countries that don’t have that
technology. Help them
either in like the medical field —
it can be just like in mechanical.
It can be whatever form
of way. I’m just trying to do AI to
help them as much as possible and
beneficial.
Yeah, well keep that motivation and
keep that drive because, you know,
the nerds will inherit the earth, is
my saying.
We have a little tradition that we
(10:27):
do on “Face to Face.” We call it
“Hot Seat.”
Yes, sir.
And what that means is I will ask
you several rapid-fire questions.
And I’m just looking for a
very short answer, one-word,
one-sentence ...
Yes, sir. ...
sort of answer. So you ready?
Yes, sir.
OK.
Who would you most like to meet,
alive or not?
It would probably be my mother.
Yeah, probably be my mother.
(10:47):
Tell me about that.
Hey, mom, if you see this, I love
you. Whatever.
Which camera? I love you, mom.
It’s my mother.
My mother has been my
best friend, and
she’s just been my world for
everything. She supports me through
everything that I’m doing right now.
And it’s definitely also my
family, too, but it’s just mostly my
(11:08):
mother, because she believes
in me.
And when I came here at 17 years old
in America, no guidance, no nothing,
she was there to support me.
She’s still back home in Sudan.
But due to the war, she moved to
Egypt.
OK.
But like, she’s always been there
for me and always supports me in
every decision that I do.
And I just love you, mom.
Yeah.
Yeah, I like that. You know, I was
(11:29):
very close to my mother. My mother
passed away a couple months ago and
we were very, very close.
So I can relate to that as well.
Yes, sir.
OK. What’s been your favorite
class you’ve had at UC Davis?
Favorite class?
To be honest, all my classes are
favorites. Like it’s just, you learn
something new from professors every
single time.
Like I can’t pinpoint which classes
(11:49):
specifically, but all my classes
have just been a learning curve.
Like it’s been just new and just
like learning and then talking to
professors about their
research, about everything in
general. I just feel
interested.
Just every time I go, I’ll be like,
wow, this is. This
is nice.
So I’ll tell all our CS faculty all
your classes are great.
(12:10):
Oh, yes. All my classes are great.
All my classes are great.
OK, favorite hobby?
Photography.
I was going to say photography.
Photography, videography. Yeah,that’s why Five Percent.
Best spot
for coffee, boba or tea?
You know, I’m not really a coffee
person or a tea person, neither a
boba.
Nothing.
What’s your drink of choice?
(12:30):
Water.
Water. OK.
Drink your water, guys.
Drink your water.
You will stay healthy.
Yeah, it’s just strictly water.
OK, my favorite question, I ask this
of every guest (12:38):
...
Yes, sir. ...
What artists or songs are on your
playlist right now?
OK, so it’s a Sudanese
artist.
His name is Mohammed al Amin.
He passed away, but my favorite song
by him is called “The
Letter of Your Name.” It’s called
“Huroof Esmk.” That’s my favorite
song about him.
But if we’re talking about an
American, probably my favorite
(12:59):
artist is Reach Justice.
And he’s actually a student here
at UC Davis.
And my favorite song by him is
“Drownin’ in Tears.”
Wow. OK. Yeah.
I have not heard his music yet.
I’m going to look for it though.
Oh, yeah. I’ll definitely send you
some.
... Send me a link. ... Yeah. Andthen if it’s
like outside in the hip hop world,
J. Cole.
J. Cole. Yeah. My daughter likes J.
Cole.
What’s your favorite?
(13:19):
I’m a Stevie Wonder fan.
I’m old school, you know.
He’s been my favorite artist since I
was your age.
Do you listen to Usher?
I’ve had a few Usher songs.
We have a good family friend who’s
one of Usher’s dancers.
So we’ve been to an Usher concert
recently and maybe going again,
actually. Usher’s from Atlanta ...
Oh, invite me too!
... where we used to live, so my
daughter has met, my youngest
daughter has met Usher.
Wow.
(13:41):
That’s beautiful.
OK, that’s my questions.
Any questions you want to ask me?
Yes, sir.
I do.
So
one of the questions is about —
that I want to ask you is how do you
think social media has influenced
the conversation around racism?
And what role do you believe
it plays in both combining and
sustaining racial issues?
(14:02):
And how do you manage racism in your
role as well?
Yeah. All great questions.
Social media has really been
a transformative
technology for our society.
But it’s a double-edged sword,
because you can say anything
you want anytime to any audience.
And that’s the good news.
It democratizes communication.
But the bad news is you can say
(14:23):
anything you want at any time to any
audience. ... Yes, sir. ...
So, you know, it’s not regulated.
So a lot of the things that people
say on social media are
more negative than they need to be.
And with respect to race, that’s
true because I think people are in
their
silos, in
their boxes, with their own
communities talking to each other.
And then some have particular
(14:44):
opinions about race.
And then there’s another group
that’s inside their silo
talking to each other.
And they’re not necessarily talking
across boundaries and having
good communication that will help
society get better.
So that’s one of the downsides.
But, you know, I use social media,
you know that, and I think
it can be a positive tool
that can be
(15:05):
beneficial if used
with constructive objectives
in mind.
And how do you like view racism in
your role?
Like you as a chancellor so far?
You know, I think one of the
misconceptions I think people have
is that when you get to a certain
level, racism is no longer
a factor.
But I like to remind people that,
you know, if I’m at a traffic stop
or whatever,
(15:27):
I’m not viewed or known as
a chancellor or somebody with a
Ph.D. I’m just a Black man like
you are. And, race, I’m affected
by racism just like
everyone else.
So, you know, one of my
strong, high priorities throughout
my life has been to
fight racism any way I can
and however I can.
That’s sort of been
(15:48):
in addition to my research interests
and other things that I do
professionally.
That’s been my
motivation for — and will continue
to be until it’s no longer an issue.
OK, 100%.
And then my second question would be
what advice do you want to give to
somebody who wants to stand out and
excel in a competitive environment?
Like for you example?
You know, I think the most important
thing is to find your passion and
(16:09):
follow it.
I think you’re never really going to
be successful doing something you
don’t enjoy doing.
It’ll be like drudgery, and you’ll
never really be able to realize your
full potential doing it.
So identify that
passion and just follow it to
the end as long as you can.
That’s very good, actually.
I agree with you on that.
Follow what you love and
(16:30):
you do. Yeah. And do it always
with a grateful heart.
Exactly.
Yeah. And I’d like to conclude
this (16:36):
What advice do you want to
give me for starting like my own
Five Percent Studios company?
Well again, I think a
big part of success is
failure, learning how
to fail and learning from failure.
So I think anyone
who you find who’s been successful,
they’ll tell you they’ve had many
bad ideas that didn’t work.
But they were able to get past
(16:57):
those, learn from those, and
apply what they learned and get
better. So I think with Five Percent
or anything else that you’re
going to be doing, recognize
you won’t get it right every time
but use those failures to make
your ultimate objectives
occur.
OK. Thank you very much for this
advice, because I’ve been asking
(17:18):
a lot of mentors and people ahead of
me, but it’s just — it’s
very scary at first because
I failed many times in order to get
this. Because before starting
actually Five Percent, I had many
companies before that.
And it just I kept trying, trying,
trying, trying and learning from my
best. But it just, it’s reached
a certain point where like you need
advice on and especially a person
(17:39):
like you — you’re UC Davis
chancellor — and like you’d met
through a lot of difficulties, and
you just ramp up.
So how do you manage that, you know?
The other part of it is find —
we talked about it before — finding
a mentor.
And mentorship is so important.
Anybody who’s been successful — they
do these surveys of Fortune 500 CEOs
and others — and they’ll tell you
(18:00):
what’s been most pivotal in
their own success, their own
pathway, has been having a mentor or
a sponsor that helped them get where
they are. So that’d be my other
piece of advice.
So do both of those things.
Sounds good. Thank you very much,
I have a lot of confidence that you
will be successful. ...
Thank you. Thank you, I appreciate
that a lot.
Yeah. And shout out Five Percent
Studios.
Yeah, absolutely. Always got to be
branding.
Yeah. Shout out Five Percent Studios.
(18:22):
Where’s my T-shirt?
Coming soon, coming soon.
Merch coming soon.
Shout out to my team.
But they’re coming soon.
All right, I’ll be looking for it.
And I want to just thank everyone
for watching me and Ahmed have this
conversation.
We’ll see you next time on “Face to
Face.” Go Ags.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
(18:42):
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”
Go, Ags!
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