Name: Mujtaba Elgoodah
Age: 21
Major: Biochemistry and Business
Minor: French
Fun fact: Fluent in both French and Arabic
On campus activities: Vice President of Finance for STAND, Philanthropy Chair for Young Democrats, Member of Arabic club, Arabic Tutor, Events Staff, Intramural Men’s and Coed Basketball and Football
Off campus involvement: Actuarial internship at Booz Allan Hamilton, Inner Circle youth mentor, DJ (He’s at Brickhouse every Tuesday and does semi-formals!)
Hometown: Reston, VA
What’s something people don’t know about you?
“I’m half-color blind. I can’t distinguish between red, yellow and orange. It’s not too bad.”
What has been your all time high at CNU?
“My roommate, Chris Anderson, and I would get Ms. Linda chocolate and flowers on her birthday. Last year we did it and she cried. Knowing how much people love her and that it meant something to her was so special. And then my birthday was two weeks later and she remembered and she got me a cake.”
So what’s been your all time low at CNU?
“I transferred in freshman year. I just felt really out of place because I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know if this was the place for me or if I fit in here. I didn’t have orientation or setting sail, so that whole semester was kind of a rough transition. I know now that I made the right decision.”
Tell us a little about the organization you founded, Mona’s Wish:
“My mom’s name is Mona. She’s very near and dear to my heart and I love her to death.
“I was 17 and I took my 10-year-old sister to the movies. There was a homeless guy asking for money and I saw 10 to 15 people walk past him. My little sister had money from her allowance and she wanted to give it to him. If a 10 year old girl has $15 to $20 to donate, anyone can. I started talking to him and found out he was a veteran. His PTSD kept him from getting a job and he tried to get help but couldn’t. So I did my research and started slowly.
“It was difficult at first because I was just a kid, so we started taking things to the homeless shelter near my home. Eventually we started Chirtsmas drives and things with some friends. We now are doing a Thanksgiving food drive and a Halloween candy drive for kids. People look at homeless people as just a statistic, but they’re people. I’m so passionate about that. They need help. We don’t use the term makeover – we call it Project Push. We want to put these people in a hotel until they can get it together. There was a woman we did this with that started as a cashier and then went to night school. Now she has a full time job as a business analyst. If everyone in the world could just donate a dollar, we could give so much to the homeless population.”
To learn more about Mona’s Wish and to learn how to get involved, visit monaswish.org
Have you ever had a social media post go viral?
“I have almost 2,000 twitter followers. The key is you mention Justin Bieber in your tweets. His followers are crazy and they’ll search for it and then they’ll retweet it. That’s the key to the twitter game.”
What’s one thing you want to do before graduation?
“I want to make Ms. Virginia an omelette and bring it to her, because she always makes us some great omelettes.”
Which Disney princess would you be and why?
“I would probably be Cinderella. She was a gangsta. She broke out and got back by midnight; that was some g stuff! She was a thug. Disney was trying to send us some subliminal messaging with her.”
Is there anything you want people to know about you?
“I feel like people will see me DJ at an event and then see me on campus but be afraid to say hi to me. People have told me that they’re intimidated by me, but I’m so outgoing and I love meeting new people! My dad always told me, ‘With a new person comes a new adventure,’ and I want to live that.”
Any advice for your fellow students?
“I would say to not change who you are. It’s cliché, but it’s true. I don’t drink and I don’t smoke and I still survived college. I have friends who stayed by my side. Just be proud of who you are, and don’t try to fit any stereotype. It’s really the best way to live.”