Royal Dragon Ruminates on Reaching New Heights

Every year before Drexel University’s Homecoming, students nominate their peers for recognition of their involvement, Drexel pride and general Dragon excellence. During winter term, Mehroj Alimov, computer science and finance ’26 in the College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) and student in the Pennoni Honors College, was nominated to the Homecoming Court and subsequently named as Royal Dragon.

Members of the Homecoming Court come from all over the University, from undergraduate to graduate students of all majors, and the two runners-up are honored as well as the Royal Dragon. Students who are nominated are often social, outgoing and work to make an impact on not only their futures, but also the lives of their classmates through student organizations.

“I believe everybody can succeed at Drexel, and that’s the beauty of it,” Alimov said. “No matter their background or story, everybody can succeed, and I’m proof of that.”

Alimov’s journey to Drexel started about 7,000 miles away in a small village in Uzbekistan. As a kid, he kept a small notebook with pictures of U.S. universities and New York City from old magazines, dreaming that one day he would study and build his future there. As a first-generation student facing language and cultural barriers, he worked relentlessly to turn that ambition into action. At Drexel, he had to become extremely adaptable, but he’s been able to accomplish a lot of those dreams — beyond becoming Royal Dragon.

“I brought a hardworking personality and fierce ambition with me, which have helped me throughout my Drexel career,” Alimov said. “I always look for the opportunities, and for new things to do. I want to give back to the school that gave this opportunity to me.”

Alimov has gotten involved in and become the leader of several clubs and organizations throughout his time at Drexel, including the Drexel Consulting Group, Real Estate Club and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. He encourages his fellow students to hone their own public speaking skills, build confidence and find and become mentors.

“We learn academic skills and coding skills, but the one thing I feel like helped me a lot is the ability to communicate effectively,” Alimov said. “Even though English is my fifth language, the ability to translate your message in meetings is a crucial skill. I know talented people who struggle with articulating their ideas, which is why I know it’s important to learn how to speak effectively in public.”

He helps other Dragons boost their own confidence as president of the Drexel Speaks, which has about 350 active members. Beyond public speaking, he helps his peers with career development as well, and has mentored more than 100 students. This year, he mentored 12 students who all secured co-op offers in A-round. He knows the importance of building a professional network and also stays in touch with professors and colleagues. He also attends office hours held by Drexel President Antonio Merlo, PhD.

“People love to help, and I’ve been helped a lot,” Alimov said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and look for mentors. Everybody is supported, everybody is respected and everybody is driven to succeed.”

Two of his co-ops have been on Wall Street in New York City; the first was at the private Swiss bank Lombard Odier and the second was at the private equity firm TPG, where he worked on their hedge fund operations. He is currently in a Senior Design partnership with Bloomberg L.P., developing machine learning models for complex market data. He still remembers the notebook full of New York City pictures from his childhood, and his goal after graduating is to return to the city and continue building his future.

“I did two co-ops there, and the fact that I came from a very small village and accomplished those goals now, I think I can do even better,” Alimov said. “I want to get back there, but with the goal of always contributing back to the place that gave me the opportunity, so I’m not going to forget about Drexel.”

Alimov campaigned to become Royal Dragon once before during his first year at Drexel but didn’t get the title; he knew it was his time during his senior year. He started reaching out to his friends and professors to spread the news.

“All of CCI supported me,” Alimov said. “My professors had me come to classes to talk about my experience because they know my background and what I’ve done throughout my career at Drexel.”