At 15, Raheem Saeed had finished high school, at 16, he was in community college and by 18, he transferred into Fresno State’s computer science program.
Through his roles in student government, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval’s Muslim advisory council, Saeed continues to impact student life at Fresno State. According to his friends and colleagues, Saeed became a prominent voice for representation, evolving the identity of computer science students.
“Being so young in college kind of pushes you to mature,” Saeed said. “You know, you’re 15 surrounded by other 20-year-olds. You’re kind of forced into a weird position.”
It’s part of why Saeed ran for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) senator for the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) in 2025, with much encouragement coming from his close friend and current ASI President Camalah Saleh.
Saeed didn’t win, but he calls the campaign “one of the best wake-up calls” of his college career, because he learned how to deepen his human connection and relationships.
His father, an electrical engineer who worked on projects like the PlayStation 4, introduced him to engineering at an age when most kids were still watching cartoons. So, engineering was a no-brainer path for Saeed.
“Growing up, I was pushed into education and a lot of extracurriculars,” Saeed said. “And then I left high school very early. And then that, with me being so young in college kind of pushed me to like, kind of have to mature.”
Thanks to his dad, Saeed’s interest in engineering started at an early age.
“I was learning how to solder and work with boards very, very young,” Saeed said. “So that only pushed me further into that.”
Growing up in a Southeast Asian household, Saeed said he knew that education was non-negotiable. His parents, who came to the United States from Pakistan, made sure of that.
In homage to his parents, Saeed said he views his education as a way to honor his parents’ immigration sacrifices.
Friends and colleagues say Saeed’s discipline and self-drive is admirable.
“Any project you do with Raheem, he’s just a very self-driven guy, and he’s very detail-oriented,” said Harris Farooqui, an electrical engineering student and friend of Saeed.
Saeed has become an anchor for many students navigating the demanding workload of the CSM program.
“Me and Raheem became friends during our time at Clovis Community College, and he’s just overall a very outgoing and well-spoken guy,” said Ayate Mankouri, a master’s biology student.
Saeed appreciates the efforts he made for himself at such a young age, which have taught him an abundance of lessons and forced him to mature quickly.
As president of MSA and a student ambassador on the president’s Muslim advisory council, Saeed carries responsibilities that extend far beyond academics.
Saeed brings experience and humility to the job. Coming from a long line of MSA presidents, Saeed knew this position was his destiny.
“It’s like a family thing,” Saeed said.
Saeed said he has faced racism, both from outside and within, forcing him to foster uncomfortable conversations within his own community.
“We’ve [MSA] faced pretty much everything under the sun,” Saeed said. “Even me being a Pakistani-Muslim, I’ve faced prejudice from other Muslims who might be Arab or more fairer-skinned than me, and they look at me since I’m a browner man.”
Saeed explained that for most people in the Muslim community, having a Pakistani president and a Yemeni vice president doesn’t sit right with a lot of people because they view both cultures as something different.
In 2025, he helped move the campus prayer room to a larger space; a win for not just Muslim students, but also the Sikh and Christian students who use the room on a daily-basis.
“I was kind of the head of getting that done in the library,” Saeed said. “And I had to kind of hold the responsibility of it being a prayer room, not just for Muslims, but for people who have the Sikh faith and Christians, so even though I’m Muslim, I need to understand what Christians need and what Sikh people need.”
As Saeed prepares for graduation, he’s torn between pursuing a master’s degree or jumping directly into the big tech world.
“So academically, I’m at a crossroads,” he said. “I’m about to graduate. I’m a senior now, and I have no idea if I’m going to pursue a master’s or not. My dream right now is to work for a FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google), or a MANGO (Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI) company.”
Whether he chooses a master’s program or sends his resume into the world of FAANG and MANGO tech company giants, he said that the path forward is less about certainty and more about persistence.
“Even when facing failures or setbacks, continuous effort and perseverance are key to success,” Saeed said.