Mohamed Meissara

My name is Mohamed Yarba Meissara, and I was born on July 14, 1988 in Atar, Mauritania. I spent the early years of my life in Atar. Then I moved to the capital city, Nouakchott, for school. After finishing high school, I went to Nouakchott University and majored in English literature. That was a real challenge, but it was fun!!!

I came to the U.S. in 2010 on the Fulbright program. I went to Ohio University for three quarters for a pre-academic program. Then I moved to Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and started my undergraduate program in August 2010. I earned a B.A. in TESOL with a minor communication. My experience in Goshen was probably the best experience in my life so far. I was introduced to different culture, religions, and societies. I also played soccer and did track for the college.

In August 2013, I started my Masters program at Ohio University, and I graduated in May 2015 with an M.A. in African Studies. I hope to get into a political science program for PhD. After that, my goal is to teach political science for some time, and I am planning to go into politics.

I have many passions. I am a soccer player. My favorite soccer team is Real Madrid, and my favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t play basketball, but I love watching it. My favorite team is Cleveland Cavaliers, and my favorite player is LeBron James.

I love linguistics, and I enjoy learning about body language and animal communication. I also like politics, and my dream is to be the president of my country one day. I believe that a change has to take a place, and I want to be a part of the change I want to see in the world (as Gandhi says). I also have a strong passion for criminology.

My hope is to live till I see my country being a country “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” I hope to live to see Africa developing and flourishing. And I hope to live to see “peace” taking over hate and animosity in the world.