W&L’s Hashim Syed ’19 Awarded Fulbright to Morocco Syed is a biology major and a Middle East and South Asia studies minor.

By Erica Turman
April 24, 2019

Washington and Lee University senior Hashim Syed ’19 has won a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to study in Morocco for nine months. Syed is a biology major and a Middle East and South Asia studies minor.

Syed’s will study at the Pasteur Institute in Casablanca, and his project is titled “The Characterization of Antiviral Resistant Mutations and Mechanisms in Hepatitis C Virus.”

“I will characterize resistance mutations associated with antiviral medicine for the Hepatitis C virus in genotype one,” said Syed. “Specifically, I will identify resistance to the antiviral Sofosbuvir, the only antiviral available in Morocco.”

In addition to his research, Syed plans to volunteer at the Association des Parents et Amis d’Enfants Inadaptes, a service organization for mentally disabled persons. “This opportunity allows me to continue working with individuals with autism, raising awareness of their issues and dispelling misconceptions held by the general public,” said Syed.

Syed credits his time at Washington and Lee for shaping and readying him for this experience. He has taken multiple lab courses within the biology department, and, in addition to assisting professors with their research, Syed has also taken Arabic courses since his first year.

“As a premed biology major, I never expected I would be pursuing language-based opportunities after graduation,” said Syed. “Anthony Edwards’, assistant professor of Arabic at W&L, passion for the language was contagious, and his high expectations and willingness to help us outside of class gave me the confidence I needed to pursue an opportunity like the Fulbright, where I would be abroad for close to a year.

“I couldn’t be happier to get the Fulbright,” Syed said. “It allows me to continue pursuing my academic interests in biology and Arabic while getting to live abroad and travel. It also is a valuable experience which will allow me to develop as a person, a biologist, and return ready and excited for medical school.”