Mohammed Khalid is a graduating senior at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) majoring in Information Systems. He is also a UMBC McNair Scholar. His story revolves around what mentoring means to him, and how his journey from being the youngest convicted of terrorism in the United States, to now researching “how to help others see through the lure of extremism.”

      During his time in high school, Khalid did not do too well socially. He found himself feeling like an outcast because of his name, and who he was. He had a hard time interacting with his peers and instead found himself being entangled with a YouTube community who shared in his faith, which put him on the path to be arrested in 2011 at 17-years-old. While he was in prison, he encountered prison officials who showed him kindness and empathy. Since his release in 2015, Khalid has developed a passion for helping young people not fall into the trap of extremism like he did.

     Now a graduating senior, Khalid has not only surrounded himself with mentors and advisors at UMBC, but has also mentored students within the McNair community. He has achieved many accomplishments, such as giving a presentation at TEDxJHU, and receiving a scholarship from the Mid-Eastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (MAEOPP), an association that brings together individuals who have an interest in and advocate for underrepresented individuals. Khalid believes in and values community, mentorship, and empathy. Furthermore, being a McNair Scholar at UMBC has played an important role in how he uses these characteristics to help young people value who they are and not fall into extremism.