Member Spotlight: Zoha Mohammad

Decatur Makers is sharing spotlights of our awesome members!

Here is the inspiring Zoha Mohammed:

Favorite mediums to work in?

I love restoring and modifying older cars. You will probably see me working on my MR2 a lot these days as I get it ready to drive it at Atlanta Motorsports Park. I love learning the physics behind how everything works as well as learning new skills to make it handle and perform better. My goal this year is to start making my own parts by shaping and welding metal and working with fiberglass and carbon fiber. I also would love to use those skills to start making large aluminum animal sculptures (like mechanical elephants and giraffes) as another hobby.

How can making change the world?

The history of the charka, the yarn spinning wheel symbolized on the Indian flag, and it’s importance during India’s liberation movement is a constant reminder to me of how much making can change the world. Making can change the world because it liberates and empowers individuals and communities towards Swaraj. Swaraj, or self-rule, is a word in Hindi that was made popular by Gandhi. There is a lot written about it, including by Gandhi himself, but to me it’s where individuals and communities take back their power to rule for themselves. And in modern society, making gives us the skills and confidence to try to build our own life and our own communities on our own terms. And by building ourselves and our local communities we take part in the process of making the world into a better place. 

Fun Fact about yourself

I love finding interesting ways to travel: I rode a bicycle from Istanbul to Rome without a map, motorcycled across Southern Africa, and ran a marathon in the middle of the Sahara desert.