A Disney movie and a curiosity about how things work led Samar Rahi, who graduates this year from St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, to embark on a future career in mechanical engineering.
“I became interested in engineering and robotics when I was very young. I have always loved assembling toys and tinkering with them,” she said.
Rahi said seeing the movie “Big Hero 6” – a Disney animated film about a young robotics whiz kid and his robot forming a superhero squad who fight to save their city – “introduced me to robotics, (and) I developed a new and exciting passion for engineering.”
“I remember thinking how cool the characters (in the movie) were and wanting to create those awesome inventions. From then on, I would help my dad with household maintenance, like the cars and computers, to learn how they worked,” she said. “This led me to be a part of the engineering program in high school, and my love for it has only grown stronger.”
Rahi has participated in Pallotti’s engineering and robotics program for four years, and graduates with honors. A member of the National Honor Society, she earned the President’s Award for Educational Excellence.
This fall, she will attend the University of Maryland in College Park to study mechanical engineering in the Honors College.
“My career goals are to help those in need with my mechanical skills, work in a diverse environment and possibly another country, be exposed to various ideas, inventions, and people, build a tight-knit and disciplined work community, and lastly to raise a big and loving, Christ-centered family,” she said.
The daughter of Tony and Alissar Rahi of Laurel, Samar and her family attend Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. She has spent her entire education so far in Catholic schools. She began at the Pallotti Early Learning Center and went to St. Mary’s Elementary and Middle School across the street from Pallotti.
“What I enjoyed most about my Catholic education was being able to talk to like-minded people and have the support of others in faith,” she said. “I learned that God is truly my strength, and that the way to get through life’s obstacles is to fully rely on Him. My faith is my anchor, and I am who I am today because of Christ's love that lives in me and around me.”
At Pallotti, Rahi was inducted into the National Honor Society and the National English Honor Society. She was a member of the Union Leader group, a cohort of seniors who are involved in campus ministry and organize retreats; the school Morning Announcements Team; the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Ping Pong Club. She was co-president of Pallotti’s Students for Life Club, and president of the Robotics Club.
Naturally, she said, her favorite classes at Pallotti were math and engineering classes, “because I was solving a new puzzle every day.”
“These classes kept me on my toes, which filled me with excitement and anticipation for what would come next. Some of my favorite memories were made in the classrooms, during and after school,” she said.
