As-Salaamu Alaykum,
My name is Xia Bolun and my Arabic name is نمر (Namir, meaning tiger). I am from Beijing, born and raised. I came to New York University Business School and completed my undergraduate degree in Finance and Computer Science. I am now studying for the first year of Masters of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. My Masters this semester is fully funded with stipend through TAship, and will be fully funded with stipend through RAship in the next semester inshaAllah. Afterwards, inshaAllah, I intend to pursue PhD, which would usually be fully funded with stipend as well.
Therefore, I am willing to relocate, since I would be applying for PhD this Fall inshaAllah.
I am 22 years old (born on September 22, 1998),and in the third year of undergraduate, when living in Jersey City, took the Shahada and became Muslim, Alhamdulillah.
Right now, I am living in Troy, NY, finishing up my masters program. Our local Muslim community is very tight-knited, and we see each other several times in the masjid every day.
My main interest in religion lies in acquiring knowledge. I am learning Arabic at the beginner's level, in order to read the Quran and contemplate more its verses. I study the Risale-i Nur,which is a sort of spiritual tafsir of the Quran written by a contemporary Turkish Imam, Said Nursi, in the context of the secularization of the Turkish government in the last century. I am learning Arabic at the beginner's level, in order to read the Quran and contemplate more its verses.
Worldly interests include amateur fencing (I fenced during undergraduate in the varsity team for three years, but now there are not many opportunities to do it), and recently started shooting (bow and arrows and also using an air gun to hit plastic bottles to practice marksmanship). I want to start swimming, but did not start because of the epidemic (I learned it when I was young, and I can swim now, but I want to swim on a regular basis for fitness).
My life goal in terms of religion, at the present moment (this may change in the future, because I am still learning), is to focus on seeking knowledge and trying to seek the love of Allah, but it does not exclude seeking the permanent fruits of the hereafter.
My life goals in terms of this world, at the present moment (this may also change in the future, because fate is unfolding at each moment), is to pursue a PhD studying computer science, with the goal of becoming a professor, so that my career could be more stable, and compared to going into trade or working for companies: I’m thinking of maybe living in the North America for about ten years or more and then moving to Turkey, but this is only a tentative thought, not set in stone.
Oh, and I have a cat named Haiya.
