The Technion’s story has been intertwined with Israel’s for more than a century, from laying the foundations for a new nation to shaping its future.
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Learn MoreBy Tomer Samuel, Berger Fellow
Seeing the healing power of music changed the way I thought about helping people.”
Tomer Samuel
I always knew that one day I would study at the Technion — it just took me a bit of time to get there.
My desire to attend the Technion started as the younger brother in a family of Technion graduates. I grew up visiting the campus, admiring the vibrant community life and atmosphere of learning that filled the place. I fell in love with the green scenery and vast views stretching from the Carmel mountainside toward the Galilee and the sea. The Technion seemed like a beautiful village where everyone was talking about equations and trigonometry.
Initially, I didn’t have the grades to get into the Technion. It was a real heartbreak. I studied elsewhere for one year, but it wasn’t what I needed, so I chose to stop.
I spent the next year practicing my music. I play and perform piano, violin, and guitar. Then I traveled to South America, where I spent time in the rain forests and quickly fell in love with the indigenous culture. I was fascinated by the shamans: the healers of the community. I participated in their ceremonies with my music and learned from theirs.
Seeing the healing power of music, I returned to Israel to study music for another year. I learned to perform, not to pretend. To open my feelings both in private and on stage. To help people through honesty and the intimacy of shared songs. It’s harder than it looks, and sciences and engineering suddenly seemed easy.
I always knew that one day I would study at the Technion — it just took me a bit of time to get there.”
Tomer Samuel
Four years after first approaching the Technion, I was accepted. Then October 7 happened, postponing the start of classes. Today I am in perhaps the University’s toughest program: a 9-year track to earn an M.D. in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.
Why the double major? I’m fascinated by how the human body works and yearn to help people as a medical doctor. At the same time, I feel that engineering is the best and most general training the academy can give. So, combining medicine with biomedical engineering made sense.
I hope to combine biomedical research, medicine, and music to bring healing and connection to the world.”
Tomer Samuel
Studying during wartime was intense, to say the least, but the Technion provided generous support. I had no housing in Haifa and needed a place to stay for the exam period. The Technion immediately found dorm space, which took away the burden of finding a place to live and of studying alone. My roommate and I would do homework until midnight on our balcony overlooking the Haifa Bay. It was a very memorable period.
In the future, I want to help humanity through my biomedical research, and I am also interested in addressing global issues such as environmental pollution and renewable energy. I hope to combine my biomedical engineering research with healing by working as an internist or surgeon in Israel and using music and music therapy to bring peace and connection to the world. Studying at the Technion has made all of this feel possible.
About the Program
The Ilene & Steve Berger Technion Visiting Fellows Program brings outstanding Technion students to communities across the United States to meet with American Technion Society supporters. Representing a wide range of disciplines, they share their research, personal journeys, and aspirations, offering a firsthand look at the talent, resilience, and innovation shaping Israel’s future and advancing discoveries that benefit the world.
