Khurram Sheharyar is the new Upper School Computer Science Teacher.
Sheharyar grew up in the Sultanate of Oman, near the United Arab Emirates. His first passion was art, but he quickly fell in love with computer science in the 1980s. He was in awe of a machine that could draw different things and print them out.
After discovering his passion for computer science, he read books to explore the field. The first computer he bought was a Commodore 64, built for gaming.
As a college undergraduate student, he joined Microsoft and spent six months in the US, where he did systems engineering. At the same time, he started a diploma in computer science.
Later on, he got a master’s degree in e-commerce from the Institute for Management Science and Technology of Karachi. Sheharyar explained that he chose this area to learn something “beneficial in different fields of life.”
From a young age, he knew he wanted to be a teacher because his grandmother was the head of his school.
It’s my aim in life to teach students and explore different cultures.
Khurram Sheharyar
For the last 20 years, he’s taught around the world, mainly in the Persian Gulf and South American countries.“It’s my aim in life to teach students and explore different cultures,” he said. “I love talking about technology,”
His most recent teaching job was at the Colegio Bilingüe in Santa Marta, Colombia, where he taught middle and high school computer science for four years. It was his first time in a Spanish-speaking country, and although the school was bilingual, he picked up some Spanish to communicate in his daily life.
“Due to my adventurous journey in different parts of the world and educating people, I managed to learn six different languages,” Sheharyar said.
Outside of school, he enjoys outdoor activities, cooking and is a big Batman fan. He brought around 25 figurines with him to the United States and went to the Dubai 2017 Comic-Con dressed as Batman.
He also enjoys video games, like the Batman Arkham series and FIFA, and watching soccer. He cheers for Chelsea, who competes in the English Premier League, and FC Barcelona, who competes in La Liga.
He also loves movies, especially martial arts-related ones. Among his favorites are “The Dark Knight” and “Ip Man.”
This is his first time living in the US for an extended period, and he’s excited to be at WIS. “It’s always been my passion to go to different parts of the world and teach them what I know,” he said.
By Isabella Duchovny
