This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the AV俱乐部 Fall Class of 2025.听Read all our profiles here听in one place as they are published.
During Canadian Thanksgiving last fall when many students were taking a break to relax and enjoy the long weekend, Abdelaziz Elherbawy was stressing about the status of his Honours application.
Spoiler alert: Those worries are now firmly in Abdelaziz鈥檚 rearview as he prepares to graduate this week with a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Mathematics and Economics.
So why the concern at the time? Abdelaziz had started his fourth year earlier that fall, and it was admittedly later than usual to be seeking acceptance into an Honours program.
Studying math wasn鈥檛 his original intention after starting his BSc. The plan was to major in biology or chemistry, but he realized after first-year courses in those subjects that they weren鈥檛 a fit. After talking it over with his parents, he decided to focus on math.
听鈥淚n my second year, although I enjoyed math, I struggled,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n the winter, I was failing one of my classes, and I was really doubting myself over the summer going into my third year.鈥�
After that, something clicked.
鈥淓ver since then, I鈥檝e been getting good grades. It鈥檚 the first time I believed in myself that I could actually go through and do this.鈥� He points to one class that 鈥渕ade me grow up鈥�: Introductory Analysis (MATH 2505), whose course description notes is for 鈥渟erious students of mathematics.鈥�
Abdelaziz ultimately was accepted into an Honours program supervised by Dr. Jeannette Jansen. 鈥淪he was very gracious to take me in during the last week and helped me the whole way,鈥� he says, adding that he found faculty in both the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics & Economics to be 鈥渟uper, super helpful鈥� over the course of his degree.
A rational choice
听
If Abdelaziz鈥檚 Honours thesis on graph theory 鈥� titled 鈥淭he Zero Forcing Number of the Hypercube鈥� 鈥� represented the more theoretical elements of math, his studies in economics focused on the applied side.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been into politics, into economics, when I was younger, so it just made sense,鈥� he says of the choice to take on a double major.
Economics is the field in which he is pursuing graduate studies. In March, he was accepted into a master鈥檚 program, which he hopes will lead to a PhD. He鈥檚 not sure yet whether he鈥檒l focus on macroeconomics or something a bit more specialized, like industrial organization.
鈥淐anada has a big problem with monopolies,鈥� he notes.
Hard work pays off听听
Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, Abdelaziz and his family moved to Halifax when he was nine, so his mother, father, and brother will be on hand to attend Wednesday鈥檚 Convocation.
While the ceremony won鈥檛 represent the end of Abdelaziz鈥檚 time at Dal, he is looking forward to the occasion.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big moment,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou finally feel the culmination of all your work.鈥�