Towson University: Getting His Kicks By Following Family To TU

Press release from Towson University: Kyle Hobstetter | November 15, 2021

Towson University international student Aizad Kamal went from soccer dreams to dissecting
brains

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aizad Kamal dreamt of becoming a professional
soccer player. At 16 years old, he traveled to Washington D.C. for a tryout with Major
League Soccer’s D.C. United.

While a knee injury cost him success on the pitch, he’s found a new passion—psychology. After earning a bachelor’s degree from TU in 2020, he is working toward his master’s
degree in clinical psychology with a focus on neuroscience.

Initially, he was attracted to psychology because he was interested in why humans
behave the way they do. But his interest in neuroscience came during his junior year
after a class with professor Bryan Devan.

It was there Kamal heard the story of how thieves stole Albert Einstein’s brain and
had it examined. The story inspired him, and now he studies how the brain works in
animals and humans.

“I am currently doing brain dissections in mice to see [how] certain areas relate
to the studying of neuro-degenerative diseases,” Kamal says. “Overall, we’re doing
a neuro-anatomy study where we study certain parts of the brain and how it relates
to diseases such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.”

Growing up in Malaysia, the thought of dissecting brains never crossed Kamal’s mind.
He laughs as he admits that he’s just been following the flow of life.

That’s actually how he came to Towson University as an international student in 2014.
His sister, Adriana, wanted to study in America and to be close to Washington D.C.
and the Malaysian Embassy.

While looking at colleges in the area, a viral video about TU came up on YouTube.
The campus and diversity shown in the video was attractive to Adriana. She was followed
by brother Azri and then Aizad. All three now have bachelor’s degrees from TU.

While it may seem like Aizad was following in his siblings’ footsteps, he truly came
to love TU’s campus.

“My experience has been amazing…there is a reason why I came back [for my master’s
degree],” laughs Aizad. “At first it was really quite hard to adjust to a new culture—the
food, the language, the people—but now it’s become second nature to me. I just love
the atmosphere here.

“Especially the diversity, you can tell that by just walking around campus and then
looking at the flags on the International Walkway that promote the different students
from different countries.”

The International Initiatives Office helped Kamal transition to living in the United States. He also worked as a student
assistant for the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO), where he gave fellow international students an introduction to Towson University.

“I would consider [the ISSO] as my family,” Kamal says. “Some of the staff would come
visit me during the summer in Malaysia, and my parents would give them a tour of Kuala
Lumpur and treat them like part of my family.”

ISSO and fellow international students even helped him get back in touch with his
athletic side. Kamal is a fan of badminton, and when he realized there wasn’t a badminton
club on campus, he partnered with Campus Rec to develop one.

Read more about Azri and Aizad Kamal: Finding their second home at TU

What started out small with less than 20 people grew to more than 80 club members
at one time, including students from the United States, Africa and the United Kingdom
among other countries.

“My intention was not to focus on the sport but on students coming together, having
fun and making friends,” Kamal says. “And it became a reality. Everybody came in and
had a great time and was able to meet new friends from around the world.”

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.