Meet Faris Gomaa, the class of 2025 valedictorian
Most biomolecular science majors consider minoring in mathematics, environmental engineering, or even business and technology management. Faris Gomaa, however, decided to go down a different path — creative writing.
“Almost every human pursuit, including science, requires some form of storytelling,” he asserts. “A professor standing in front of a classroom is weaving a tale,” Gomaa says. “Or consider an antibody defending against an infection: the way we narrativize that fight, it can be viewed as something of a classic ‘hero’s journey,’ similar to what we see in literature.”
Gomaa, the Brooklyn-born son of parents who came to the U.S. from Egypt, has long straddled the line between the humanities and the sciences. “Both can provide us with a way of making sense of the world,” he explains.
He admits that his view of science and technology has evolved. When he was first admitted to Brooklyn Tech, one of New York City’s most competitive public schools, he considered STEM topics to be dependably straightforward. “I figured that every question could be answered if you followed the right steps or formulas,” he says, “but I’ve since come to appreciate the complexities and mysteries that are actually involved.”
That appreciation — along, of course, with concerted hard work — has propelled Gomaa to the top of his class, an astounding feat given the number of students in the Class of 2025. He is, however, almost preternaturally humble about that achievement. (Consider that his student job in NYU Tandon’s Office of Campus Operations put him in daily contact with dozens of administrators and members of school leadership, but few had any inkling that the always-friendly person making name badges and accepting deliveries was concurrently maintaining a perfect GPA.)
“Maybe it’s a family trait,” Gomaa, who has two older brothers, says. “My parents have always stressed the importance of education and accomplishment, but they discourage excessive pride or boastfulness.”
