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When asked “Tell me about yourself,” biology (pre-med) student Mohamed Irhabi doesn’t reach for clichés.
“I’m competitive,” he says, “but not to beat others—to beat yesterday’s version of me.”

For Irhabi, competition isn’t a scoreboard; it’s standards. It shows up in how he studies, leads, and uses his time: set a target, do the reps, see the result.

“I turned academics into a competition, just between me and myself,” he said. “Every morning I wake up and think: okay, what needs to be done? If there’s an exam, you prepare. If there’s an opportunity, you pursue it.”

That mindset carried him to Â鶹ӳ»­Ó°Òô (LU), a choice he weighed carefully among several admits. He was admitted to Texas A&M, Trinity, University of Houston, Sam Houston, UT, and others, and after careful consideration and prayer, he chose Lamar.

“It was a strategic decision,” Irhabi says. “Smaller school, but more access, which can lead to better opportunities to build.”

“Since then, I’ve found great and serious opportunities, and I’ve tried to meet them with serious work.”

Those opportunities—internships, research, and mentorship—connect directly to Irhabi’s next step: medical school.

At The Neurobehavioral Clinic (Port Neches), Irhabi began by shadowing Dr. M. Khalid Hamza, a forensic neuropsychologist, and later interned part-time. He worked on patient report writing, learned the different psych tests administered, and contributed to clinical research.

“Dr. Hamza guided and encouraged me,” Irhabi says. “I learned the workflow, the standards, and the why behind each step.”

The clinic experience opened research doors and eventually aligned with Irhabi’s selection as a David J. Beck Fellow.

The fellowship supported his work at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, where he focused on neuro-ophthalmology in a clinically oriented setting—complementing his psychology and neuro work at the clinic in Port Neches.

“The Beck Fellowship research was a step above what I had been exposed to,” he says. “The clinic sharpened my judgment and how patient care is done; and the research sharpened my questions of why and how.”

Medical school is the next step. Cardiology currently leads his interests, but he’s open to change in medical school. “You have to be adaptable,” he says. “Life throws curveballs; sometimes it’ll slap you in the face, but the key is to get up, adjust, and most importantly, learn from those experiences.”

Opportunities like these grew with the support of the Reaud Honors College (RHC).

“I asked people: should I join? Is it worth it, or just extra work? A few said no, but the vast majority—Beck Fellows, McNair Scholars, students I respected—were in Honors. It only made sense for me to join.”

Irhabi also credits Dean Dr. Tilisa Thibodeaux and the honors team. “I learned from her by example, not just academically but in mindset and approach. She helped me refine how I think about goals, standards, and execution. Shout out to her.”

“The Honors College has been extremely supportive,” he said. “They don’t just expect you to take harder classes—they push you to pursue high-impact opportunities like internships, projects, and research. They connect you with faculty, check in on what you’re doing, and hold you to a higher standard in the best way possible. They want you to grow holistically, not just academically.”

“I hold myself accountable,” Irhabi adds. “I expect the best of myself, and others expect a lot from me. That’s enough. It takes double the work to reach that level and triple to sustain it.”

On campus, Irhabi helped revive the Mixed Martial Arts Club, served across many different student organizations, and built the AMSA website as a hub of resources for pre-medical students at Lamar. This aligns with his principle of leaving things better than he found them. “I don’t wait for perfect conditions—they never exist. So take that leap! I often leap before I look,” he says with a smile.

Irhabi doesn’t like the idea of work–life balance; he practices work–life integration, aligning study, research, service, training, and faith into one system.

“Direction beats drift,” Irhabi says. “Set the standard you desire, do the work for it, and let the results speak.”

If his path so far is any indication, expect impact, service, and standards—shaped by his work and the community that helps him raise them.

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