HFC student places 7th nationally in Student Mathematics League Competition

For HFC pre-engineering student Ali Hamdoun, mathematics requires steady practice and effort. He always put the extra effort into his math studies since he was young, spending a lot of his free time solving math problems.

This helped Hamdoun, of Dearborn, develop his math solving skills and solving speed, which served him well when he placed 7th nationally in the Student Mathematics League Competition, a national competition sponsored by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges. Established in 1974, the AMATYC strives to be the leading voice and resource for excellence in mathematics education in the first two years of college.

“I was delighted when I heard I got seventh place my first year in the competition. At the same time, I was a little frustrated that I didn't take first place. I will keep on working hard so the next time I can score higher,” said Hamdoun, of Dearborn. “I want to thank math instructor Mr. Michael Zalzali for working hard by training us for the competition, despite his busy schedule. I also want to thank my friends who participated in the SML competition for supporting me. I would not have been able to accomplish this without them.”

Hamdoun won $150 and was also awarded a trophy for his performance. He will use the money toward books.

Third brother to attend HFC

Although he was born in the United States, Hamdoun – the third of four children – attended high school overseas. In 2019, he graduated from Salmiya Indian Model School in Kuwait. Upon returning to the U.S., he enrolled in HFC.

“HFC is close to my place of residence and my older brothers (Ahmad Hamdoun and Daoud Hamdoun) studied at HFC before me, so it was a natural choice,” he said.

Currently, Hamdoun is working on his associate degree in pre-engineering at HFC. Once he graduates, he plans to transfer to Wayne State University where he will work on his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. He has aspirations to attend medical school.

“I like the environment at HFC. It is small and comfortable. I enjoy watching the Rouge River from one of the vantage points on the campus. Since the campus is small, I can be anywhere and go anywhere easily on foot or on a bike,” he said. “The best part of attending HFC for me is the organized and easy access to online Moodle [the HFC online course software]. I heard from my friends at other colleges that their online learning platforms are messy and complicated. This makes me appreciate what we have at HFC.”