BADASS OF THE DAY!Kulsoom Abdullah, a Pakistani-American who opened the door for women to wear cloth

BADASS OF THE DAY!Kulsoom Abdullah, a Pakistani-American who opened the door for women to wear clothing that adheres to religious codes at weightlifting competitions, began competing in 2010. She represented Pakistan at the 2011 World Weightlifting Championships as the first woman at the international level to compete wearing hijab (Muslim observance of covering the head, arms and legs etc.). Her athletic feats and determination culminated in an invitation to deliver remarks at the 2011 U.S. State Department’s Eid ul Fitr reception following then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  She received her bachelors in Computer Engineering at the University of Central Florida and her doctorate in Electrical/Computer engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is currently a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech and a researcher at Damballa.Abdullah was featured in “The Pakistan Four,” a documentary about redefining what it means to be a Muslim woman in the U.S. She is also featured in a 2015-2016 Saris To Suits calendar of female South Asian American role models, a non-profit organization that benefits victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her hobbies of photography, video editing, writing and love of travel, have helped document her experiences in weightlifting on her website, LiftingCovered.com.  While she trains, she listens to EPIC trailer super-hero(ine) movie music and non-mainstream rock, electronic and rap artists.“I was born in Kansas City (“There is no place like home!”) but my family comes from the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. My father came to the U.S. because back when the U.S. was actually recruiting people in the medical field. My mother did not speak any English and had never traveled outside of her village in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province.I grew up in a small town called Okeechobee in Florida. To give some perspective, Okeechobee schools closed the day the Super Walmart opened so everyone could attend the opening. The Okeechobee High School cheerleaders and band had a half-time show in the parking lot. We had a close knit community of friends, and you never had to worry about commuting and traffic as it only took 10 minutes to get to the extreme ends of the city.I grew up visiting Pakistan as much of my extended family live there. My mother tongue is Pashto, and I have picked up a little Urdu during my visits to Pakistan.My parents were very supportive of my education and I was very fortunate that they gave me the freedom and flexibility to select a major of my choosing. I received scholarships to attend the University of Central Florida where I received my Bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering with a minor in Math, so even with my own choice, I was a desi parent’s dream [for their son :)]. After college, I attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where I received my Masters and PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering. My research in my PhD thesis and as a visiting scholar was in information visualization for network security, specifically for analysts to better understand and interact with the data.Earlier last year, I became interested in machine learning and data science and used it on a project at Georgia State University in understanding the role of technology in CSEM – Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors, an area I would like to collaborate with others on in the future. Currently, I am a researcher at Damballa, a network security company, where I use data science to help in detecting advanced malware and advanced persistent threats.When I was younger, I thought about becoming involved in sports, but had no motivation, and in retrospect, no role model. It was not until I was in graduate school that I became proactive and took up Taekwondo. My friend’s roommate, Cora Lind, a graduate student in Chemistry (who has now become a good friend of mine), was on the German national Jujitsu team, was already taking this class, and encouraged me to take it. The instructor, Dr Robert Speyer, also a Materials Science professor at Georgia Tech, was accommodating in my choice of clothing (head scarf and covering of arms and legs). During that time, I became interested in strength training and used Stumptuous as my guide. After graduating, I read about Olympic Weightlifting, and then pursued that via Crossfit.More here -- source link

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