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MORE ABOUT ZJHARI
Zjhari is ready to take on the world as a project engineer at Whiting-Turner Contracting, but he didn’t know this would be his path when he first came to Hofstra.
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“I started as a biomedical engineer, but in your first two years you get to learn the broad scope of engineering. You’re able to really see what you like and what you are good at, which is how I ended up moving to civil engineering. I was pre-med and thought I wanted to be a doctor. Now I want to build buildings.”
“I love the stuff that I'm learning about – science and math have always been my passion. Besides being able to naturally understand it, I've learned to really appreciate it. Everywhere I go, I see the stuff that I'm learning about. The equations that make up this planet that we live on apply to the whole universe.”
“What I would say about the engineering program at Hofstra is that it's very open to people who are open to learning about themselves. It’s a very communicative environment, and the more you learn about people, the more you learn about engineering.”
Zjhari didn’t spend all of his time in engineering labs and figuring out the formulas of life. He was also enjoying all that Hofstra has to offer.
“Some of my favorite memories at Hofstra were at Fall Fest and Welcome Week. It was always a great time because I got to see my friends and just hang out before the grind of the semester. I met a lot of my best friends in my very first year at Welcome Week.”
“My favorite spot on campus is the swim center. Every time I’ve been in there I’ve been able to swim by myself and just relax and clear my mind. It feels very elite – like I have the whole pool to myself.”
“Even though the swim center was my favorite spot, I spent the most time at the fitness center. It was like a second home to me ̶ between working shifts, refereeing intramurals, or just playing ball and working out.”
Working on campus became more to Zjhari than earning money. It became a big part of his Hofstra journey.
“On my first day at Hofstra, I went to the fitness center and I met Pat Montagano, the person in charge. I told her I needed a job, and she said, ‘Sure, I'll take a chance on you.’ “
She was the first person to teach me the value of building relationships ̶ just being a good person to everybody you come across because you never know who you're coming across. I think Pat is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and I think that a lot of people here at Hofstra have made me feel that way … that they genuinely care.
» Zjhari’s story isn’t unique. In fact, among Hofstra University’s 2021-2022 undergraduate recipients, 92% of alumni from the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science who responded to our graduation survey or other reliable sources (78% knowledge rate) reported that they were employed or had started or were planning to start graduate school within one year of graduation. Visit our outcomes page at hofstra.edu/outcomes for detailed information.