Young Qatari achiever Salman Nasser al-Khanji has only one way to look at — to the future challenges that he needs to undertake.
The 26-year-old adventurer was confidence personified while speaking to Gulf Times yesterday on the sidelines of the Empower Youth Conference 2018 at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
A rare achiever among Gulf youth, this ice skiing enthusiast led a team that comprised his mother and two younger sisters to conquer the 4,900m high Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of Africa.
“My inspiration has all along been my parents who always motivated me to go for challenges that many others simply hesitate to undertake and as a result I have all along been looking at doing things differently,” explained the director of marketing and public relations at the Qatar Golf Association.
“My appeal to youngsters is to pull out everything they have in their arsenal and create something on their own to be successful in their careers. At the same time, my request to everyone is to remain modest while achieving greater feats,” said al-Khanji, whose father Nasser al-Khanji is a senior professional working in the country’s public transportation sector.
In the last three years, besides being active in ice skiing and participating in tourneys in Scandinavian locations, the graduate from Scotland’s prestigious St Andrews University also went on a solo walk in Qatar, covering 600km across the length and breadth of the country in 14 days.
Salman’s mother Margarita Zuniga, who was born in the US, is an adventurer like her son. A keen motorbike rider, she went on a nearly 300km round-trip expedition with a team of Indian women from Mumbai to Pune, a few years ago.
“I always enjoy things like such expeditions and encourage Salman and his siblings to do things differently to be a winner” said Margarita, who works at the Dean’s Office at VCUQatar.
Salman Nasser al-Khanji and his mother Margarita at the venue of the Empower Conference yesterday. PICTURE: Jayaram
