What our alumni did next

We catch up with biomedical engineering student, Hanna (Class of 2020), and chat with Bilal, Abdullah, Kieran from our Class of 2012.

Forever a TKS Shark

No matter how long you were with us, if you have ever been part of The KAUST School, then you are a member of the TKS alumni family.

Our global network of alumni includes past students, graduates and former staff. We want to help you connect, network and support the next generation of TKS Sharks.

Join the TKS Alumni network to reconnect with former Sharks and learn about upcoming alumni reunions and events around the world. Additionally, we want to help you join networking groups, and support TKS students and graduates through mentoring, internships and so much more.

Get inspired and read more about what our fantastic alumni have been up to since their TKS days. We’d love to hear from you too!

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Where engineering meets medicine:
what Hanna did next…

Hanna Khan spent ten years at TKS before graduating in 2020. She then made the move to Canada, after receiving a scholarship to study engineering at the University of British Columbia.

“I chose biomedical engineering as my major after a competitive first year, with a specialization in biomedical informatics. Biomedical informatics is the interdisciplinary study of biology and computer science to analyze genomic data and inform medical decision-making. I am particularly interested in the application of math as a modeling tool for problems in medicine.

“Outside of school, I am co-lead of Multiple Sclerosis to Movement (M2M), an engineering sub-team on UBC’s official Biomedical Engineering Student Team (BEST). At M2M, I lead a team of nine engineering students in the design of a data-driven glove and mobile game app to make Multiple Sclerosis rehabilitation more engaging.

“In the near future, I am looking to go on co-op, a program allowing students to expand their university education by gaining work experience. As a biomedical engineering student, I would be looking to involve myself in the medical technology industry.”

Follow UBC’s Biomedical Engineering Student Team on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ubcbest/

Friends reunited

Kieran, Abdullah and Bilal reunite for the first since they graduated TKS High School in 2012

Meet Bilal

My name is Bilal Hallak, and I am a proud graduate of TKS. I currently live in Melbourne, Australia, and have been working at Metricon Homes for the last three years.

In my role, I specialize in assisting first home buyers with their property purchases. This work is incredibly rewarding, as it allows me to use my skills to help others achieve their dreams of owning their own homes.

With my experience, passion, and knowledge of the property industry, I am driven to advance in my career and achieve new heights. I have set my sights on a future management role within Metricon Homes, where I believe I can continue to make an impact on the business, as well as help other first home buyers achieve their goals.

Aside from work, I am incredibly grateful for the lifelong friendships that I have made since TKS. These friends have been with me through thick and thin, and we have shared countless memories and experiences together. One of the things that we love to do is travel the world, and we have been fortunate enough to visit many incredible places over the years.

One of the highlights of our travels was attending the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup. The energy and excitement of these events were unlike anything that I have ever experienced, and I will always cherish the memories that I made with my friends during these trips. Can't wait to see what more the future holds!

Meet Abdullah

I currently work as a IT Consulting Specialist here in KAUST IT. After TKS, I earned a degree as a Digital Media Specialist from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

Seeing KAUST for the first time in 2009 was a spectacular sight, and, somehow, I knew that in the future I would find myself back here, not as a student, but as an employee working on
comprehensive and interesting projects.

In 2012 after graduating TKS, I set out for my university journey
seeing parts of the world I never thought I would. Along the way,
I made friendships that will last a lifetime, some are fellow TKS
alumni and others are new. The experiences and lessons learned are something I'll really be forever grateful for. Being a Digital Media Specialist has given me the ability to develop a vast array of different skillsets in the new world of the digital realm, from being proficient in a variety of different software, technologies, film and marketing elements.

As an IT Consulting Specialist in KAUST IT, my skillsets for certain
software are not just used for producing work, but for also being
able to teach others around the community on how to use
certain software. One of the most recent highlights of my job was attending LEAP 2023 in Riyadh, a large three–day annual tech convention where my colleagues and I represented KAUST.
Outside of my profession, my hobbies are vast. One is that I am
an audio engineer conducting my own music and finding my own language in sound. Another is that I hope to continue my journey traveling and seeing more unique parts of the world along the way regrouping with my old friends from TKS. I would like to thank TKS for handing me the skills and teachings that have contributed to the person I am today.

Abdullah attending LEAP in Riyadh

Meet Kieran

Coming back to KAUST after 11 years was surreal for me. Coincidentally, I had been at my school in Australia for 11 years before moving to KAUST in 2009. As you can imagine, changing from a school of 300 people in my grade to 11 (11 seems to be a common theme here); and moving to a country on the other side of the world was a big change for me. My time at TKS taught me a lot, not only from my educational or the cultural experiences, but also in learning to be adaptable and embracing change.

I completed a biomedical sciences degree with honours at the University of Queensland, where I was the treasurer of the UQ Arab Student Association and coincidentally met a few people with connections to my KAUST friends! I then made the shift to commerce, becoming a chartered accountant and working as an auditor at Deloitte. I have travelled a fair bit since KAUST, going to a Muay Thai camp in Thailand for three weeks, and visiting KAUST friends in the US, Canada and England. Through work, I have also been given opportunities to travel to some rural and regional places in Australia, and even saw Bilal when I was sent to Melbourne for training last year.

My one year of Arabic study in KAUST still comes in handy from time to time. None more so than when I recently visited Jordan and Palestine and got stranded more than a few times! KAUST has given me friends for life, and I am ever grateful for the opportunities that I have had. I’m hopeful that it won’t be another 11 years before my next return to KAUST, as I hope to move to the Middle East in the near future!”

Bilal celebrates the final moments after Messi lifted the world cup trophy for Argentina in FIFA 2022

Kieran in China

Then: at TKS graduation in 2012

Now: the trio on TKS campus in front of a painting by Bilal