Metamorphosis Man
Student creates a metamorphosis in arts magazine
By Olga Butkevich

Mix cups of dedication, two tablespoons of hard work, a teaspoon of passion and a pinch of zest, and you get Muhammed Halim. This Miami-Dade College- Wolfson Campus sophomore is not only responsible for collecting and organizing literary and visual art works but serves as one of the head editors of The Metramorphosis, a campus arts magazine. “I love what I do here,” Halim said. “We find talent that exists on campus.”

The publication of The Metramorphosis ended a couple of years ago. Students in Halim’s ENC 1101 course spoke of relaunching the magazine and organized ideas for the material it would include. With the aid of Dr. Michael Hettch, an ENC 1101 professor, Halim joined in revising the magazine. After two years, Halim was appointed as editor to collect poetry, creative prose, articles that “transcended time,” paintings, and photos to organize a journal that explored the work of the school’s most talented students. With his time as an editor, Halim also managed to become involved with a variety of campus organizations.

Inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor society within his first year, Halim has been recognized for his 4.0 GPA and major in economics. “I am interested in developmental economics. It has no boundaries for me,” Halim says. During spring 2002, Halim was an active member of the Environmental Ethics Institute, where he attended weekly seminars and presented topics on the environment. “I became aware of the impacts of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified foods…,” Halim says. Through the Alpha Gamma Kappa chapter of the PTK, Halim organized an essay contest, “Health and Environment,” to make students aware of issues in the environment. “I was eager to convey that knowledge to fellow students and encourage them to do their own research about these issues,” he says. He printed the details of the contest in The Metramorphosis, awarded money to the winners, requested faculty members give extra credit to participating students, and negotiated the publication of selected essays in the campus newspaper. “We hoped that this contest would reveal to students many environmental issues that they generally ignore,” he said.

“Halim is intellectually curious, academically talented, enthusiastic, and willing to work hard,” said Michael Hettich, a Ph.D. professor of English. This 27-year-old manages to balance honor level classes while working 30 hours a week as a spa coordinator.

Halim has assisted keynote speakers in the Transatlantic Conference for the 21st Century, volunteered to help children living in shelters, and tutored in economics and financial accounting. However, he claims that his greatest challenge is “total quality management,” which is the act of consistently improving his ability to make a difference.

For now, Halim is attending Florida International University, where he is focusing on a “Service for Peace” plan, a 10-day development aimed at gathering grade school children to aid with school and community clean-ups and projects. “We’re promoting peace and breaking barriers,” Halim says. In the future, he plans to attend the London School of Economics in England to study for a masters and later a Ph.D. in developmental economics. “I am fortunate to pioneer projects that had such a powerful impact in my academic, as well as local, community,” he says.

Contact Halim at infinitezest@aol.com.

Copyright © 2006 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved