Dare to Dream - Yassin Chehab El Din

Many of us venture to Fredericton to, either work or to further our education in one form or another. The University of New Brunswick is one such institution that not only attracts students from around the country, but it also attracts a number of students from around the globe. Being a student at UNB provides individuals an opportunity gain an education and the option to participate in a number of CIS varsity athletic sports. Soccer is one such sport that has been fertile in enabling students from around the world to play as a team and compete against the best student athletes in Canada. From Cairo, Egypt, Yassin Chehab El Din is one individual who has joined the ranks of the Varsity REDs and has been an integral role in the success of UNB soccer for the 2010-11 season.

The story of how Yassin came to play for UNB is one that any Canadian would fully admire and appreciate. To prevail against the odds, strive forward and continue to follow your dreams is one feat that many people fail to accomplish. Yassin is one individual who has not given up and his efforts have not been brushed aside. For 15 years Yassin has been playing soccer for numerous Egyptian teams such as Al-Ahly, Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (ENPPI) and Tarsana. Al-Ahly is the most crowned club in Africa by capturing 35 wins within the Egyptian Premier League, and Yassin not only played for Al-Ahly, but he was also nominated to the Egyptian National Football Team. Among the many triumphs and athletic successes, Yassin has also encountered an uneventful setback that delayed his chances at playing professional soccer. While being scouted to play for the Egyptian National team, Yassin tore his hamstring and as a result his scouting prospects turned their attention elsewhere. This is not to say that Yassin was down and out of the ‘game’, but for an opportunity at a young age to move into the professional “spotlight” was seemingly snatched from Yassin’s ambitious fingers.

Due to an injury, Yassin did not accept the fact that his chances were slim to nil in acquiring a new nomination. With support from his family, Yassin continued to strive forward by following his love for the game. After recovering from his hamstring injury, Yassin captained the ENPPI club for five years and then progressed onwards to Tarsana (Egypt’s oldest team) for another two years. As Yassin continued to play soccer and attend UNB-Cairo, he made the decision to travel abroad and finish the last year of his business degree at UNB-Fredericton. For the past year, Yassin, has played all but two games (due to injury) for the Varsity REDs, and he hopes to continue to play as he is looking to enroll in the M.BA program at UNB in the following year.

For Yassin, life is not about losing and it is not always about winning, but it’s about having the will to never give up. Being only 21, Yassin in an athlete that has been able to accomplish a great deal, but he has also faced such adversaries that only could be conquered by taking risks. If there were words to live by, Yassin would follow the simple but reverse saying “impossible is nothing” and “without risk there are no accomplishments worth taking.” As you can see Yassin is an individual that did not, and will not give up in his pursuit to one day live his dream by becoming a professional soccer player. Dare to Dream!