Alpine climbing and design

A lot of you may know me as Eman the HCI Data-centered user advocate, or the Amazon Designer, but today I wanted to share a personal update.

This year, I challenged my own perspective of how far I can reach, and I learned a lot about myself along the way. I did not grow up with professional sports in my childhood. In fact, growing up, I used to hear stories of my male cousins climbing mountains and going on desert adventures in Egypt. I was never invited to go; it was considered far too gruesome of a journey for someone like me.

This year, I went back and climbed Mt. Sinai in St. Catherine National Park. It’s where Moses stayed for 40 days and is believed to have received the 10 commandments. I was lucky enough to climb on a snow day, almost unheard of in Egypt! We started our climb at 1:50 am and caught the sunrise on top. Not only did I stand on that very summit, but I was lucky enough to catch the rare occasion of climbing it in the snow—a phenomenon that is almost unheard of in that region. 

Pushing through that terrain taught me that endurance is a mental game of strength far more than it is a physical one. It takes a specific mindset and a positive attitude to keep moving upward when the conditions get tough.

As I pushed through the snow, I found myself reflecting on my professional growth journey. It reminded me exactly of my time working at Amazon when AmazonFBA was a booming, rapidly growing program. Navigating that hyper-growth era required that exact same mental endurance—the ability to stay grounded in ambiguity, maintain a relentless positive attitude, and keep pacing yourself through massive scale and constant change.

Whether navigating the complex landscape of a booming global tech program or climbing an alpine summit that I was once told wasn't meant for me, I’ve realized that our boundaries are rarely where we think they are.

I’ve put together a summary of the trails, peaks, and milestones I've crossed so far—you can take a look at my hiking resume https://bit.ly/47F3MqS !

I am looking forward to reengaging with this network—let’s connect and catch up!