Immanuel Odisho knows how to overcome obstacles– it’s a lesson he learned from his father.

Odisho grew up hearing stories of his parents’ escape from their native Iraq after the first Gulf War, and of the two years they spent in a refugee camp before coming to Canada.

He knows how hard his father worked– for a time, living paycheque to paycheque, determined to build a better life for his family, despite having to learn a new language and a new culture.

“My father taught me how to pick myself up and always look forward– now that’s the mentality I carry with me,” says Odisho, recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Entrance Scholarship, and a first year Engineering student.

Born in Hamilton, Odisho watched as, over the years, his father continued to persevere, gradually building a comfortable life for his family in Canada.

So when Odisho’s father became ill a few years ago, making it difficult for him to work, he did what his father would do– he figured out a way to move forward.

“My father wasn’t able to provide what he once used to, so I took it upon myself to try and exhaust all options,” says Odisho who had begun to look for ways to supplement his family’s income while his father recovered from his illness.

That’s when Odisho, a star student with a keen interest in financial markets, decided to try his hand at day trading.

“I did what my father did when he came to Canada– I started small, just teaching myself. I studied really hard, day in and day out, until I felt comfortable– then I started trading,” says Odisho.

It wasn’t long before he started to make a modest, but meaningful income– eventually becoming so proficient, he began helping his friends learn to day trade.

“I can see how what my father did is reflected in my own life,” he says. “My dad came here, he started small and then it grew. I did something small and then it grew. I love seeing the progress- it makes me feel like I’m doing something purposeful with my life, and when I can help people along the way, it’s even better.”

When it came time to apply to University, Odisho says, McMaster’s Engineering program was the natural choice. “McMaster stood out because the campus is so welcoming and it carries such great history. I knew I would feel comfortable here,” he says.

While at McMaster, Odisho’s goal is to combine his passion for financial markets with his interest in software engineering to create software for algorithmic trading. Eventually, he hopes to run his own hedge fund.

In the meantime, Odisho says he’ll keep overcoming obstacles.

“Sometimes people get stuck, they’re paralyzed, and they don’t know how to grow,” he says. “When my father was in the refugee camps he could have said, ‘alright this is what I’ve got and this is it.’ Instead he said, ‘I have to keep growing.’ Now he’s doing well for himself and his family. I wish that for everybody and I’m happy that he showed me how to do that.”