Nabeel "Nomi" Sajid
Plainview, N.Y.
Class Of: 2012

Campus: Old Westbury
Major: Business Management, B.S.

Driving fast sports cars is only a dream for many, but it's all in a day's work for business management student Nabeel "Nomi" Sajid, a sales manager at Jaguar of Great Neck, N.Y. He started selling cars at age 16 at another dealership with his father. He is now the only person at a Jaguar dealership in New York City and Long Island selling the Fisker Karma, a new plug-in hybrid vehicle by the sports car company, Fisker Automotive.

"If everyone had an alternative fuel-sourced vehicle in their household, it would help our environment and be a step in the right direction," Sajid says.

The Fisker Karma sells for more than $100,000 and accelerates to 125 miles per hour. It comes with a solar panel roof and is finished with sustainable materials, such as reclaimed wood trim from a California wildfire, non-animal eco-suede, and recycled glass flake paint. The stroke of a button activates the one-gear car.

Sajid has sold 67 2012 Fisker Karmas. That sales prowess has been honed in NYIT's classrooms, as much as in car dealerships.

"Whatever I've done well at work is from learning the basics in classes at NYIT," Sajid says.

An organizational behavior class stands out in his mind, and Sajid notes how much he learned from a group project on manager vs. leader.

"Working together and collaborating with other students makes me feel like I'm a real part of NYIT," he says.

Feeling at home has taken time for Sajid, whose family has lived in many places over the years. As a child, he lived in Kuwait, where his father was chief financial officer of Kuwait Airways. They later escaped the Persian Gulf War by moving to Toronto, Canada, and ran a restaurant there for six years before it failed, forcing them to start over.

"Giving up everything we had, we made our final attempt to start a new life and moved to New York, which I was in favor of," Sajid says. "Getting back on our feet took a little longer, but it was well worth the wait. I can finally say we have a home."

Though Sajid loves selling cars, he has other plans after graduation. His next move will take him back into the restaurant business.

"The reason why I like the hospitality side of business is because it gives me an opportunity to provide an excellent service to people and exceed their expectations," he says. "In the very near future, I do have plans to start a restaurant with an enticing selection of entrees, a fancy environment, and unmatchable service – all tied to an affordable price."

His family's past foray into the restaurant business hardly deters Sajid, whose ambitions are shaped by the challenges he's endured.

"I want to be a role model for my younger cousins and family members" Sajid says. "At the end of the day, it is the reason I've reached where I am today."