Shareef Madani, engineering major, is a student at Kirkwood Community College who has taken his future into his own hands, opening Tripod Studio HQ, a photography company located in downtown Iowa City.
The company does photography, videography and editing. One of the primary goals of Madani is to have the ability to offer services to a wider audience using the internet.
Tripod Studio HQ works with YouTube creators, businesses and individuals.
“Every time I think about doing a business it was like something I would do in theory or when I get verified,” said Madani. “It was the big, big goal. I even have a note I wrote all my goals ten years ago. It’s crazy how every year I take out one or two goals. I’m like ‘woah, I’m kinda doing it.’”
Madani is originally from Sudan, moving to the United States when he was 14. “I came by myself,” said Madani. “I had my uncle here who I stayed with.”
He credits the experience of immigrating to America for who he has become today. He said it forced him to be responsible from a young age and helped him have the mentality that allows him to find success in the classroom and in the workplace.
Kirkwood has also been pivotal in Madani’s journey. The college is where he discovered his love for photography. He took a photography class before picking it up as a hobby, eventually growing it into his business.
“Kirkwood gives me the motivation and belief that I can really do this,” said Madani. “I meet a lot of people here and I talked to all of them. I get ideas and a lot of people give you a lot of tips to help you out.”
Madani said the most valuable resource he has used at Kirkwood has been Student Services as it’s helped him learn how to manage his time between school and work, a skill he says he sometimes struggles with.
He continued by saying he spent some time early in his Kirkwood career trying to figure out what it was he wanted to do, exploring several different majors, before he began pursuing engineering.
He said he encourages other students to focus on themselves and discover what it is that they want to do and adds that Kirkwood is the perfect place to do that.
Categories: Feature, Student Spotlight
