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Faraj Shahrstan is a busy man. Aside from being in the final year of his Civil Engineering degree, he鈥檚 also taken on a multitude of extracurricular activities on campus including past President of the Civil Engineering society, past Vice President of Communications for 鲍鱼tv Engineering society and the founder and current President of the University鈥檚 first American Concrete Institute (ACI) Student Chapter; just to name a few of his hobbies outside the classroom.

For Shahrstan, representing the Faculty of Engineering has always been just as important to him as his academic success.

鈥淚鈥檓 very keen on wanting to bring people together. I think that鈥檚 part of my personality,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f people see, people will follow, and I like being able to bring everyone together for a common goal.鈥�

When it came to founding Dal鈥檚 ACI Chapter, Shahrstan says it鈥檚 been one of the most rewarding experiences of his university career. Launching the initiative in 2018, he says it took an entire year to build the student chapter. Since that time, he鈥檚 been able to grow his team to 30 members and compete at international competitions where they鈥檝e ranked in the top 5 out of 50 teams.

In recognition of Shahrstan鈥檚 outstanding work, he was recently named to the Faculty of Engineering鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 Leadership List. The acknowledgement was introduced in the Fall of 2019 to celebrate the co-and-extra-curricular leadership initiatives of students.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful that the Faculty now honours the hard work and efforts of students outside the classroom,鈥� says Shahrstan. 鈥淪tudents are typically only recognized for their academic achievements, but for me, good grades with extracurricular initiatives is the path for a well-rounded university experience. As an engineer, I鈥檓 trying to showcase to the world who I am and what I鈥檓 able to contribute to society.鈥�

Eight students ranging from various disciplines and years of study were named to this year鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 Leadership List.