Mina Raky was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1981. Mina recounted his upbringing in Cairo, specifically the challenges he faced as a religious minority practicing Christianity in a Muslim-majority country. His mom recognized his musical talents at an early age, and he attended the Conservatoire to learn how to play the piano professionally. Mina deepened his musical knowledge once he graduated from Helwan University in Cairo with a bachelor’s in Music Performance. After college, Mina performed Christian worship music and passed out Bibles during his performances. Mina feared for his safety while performing these actions, given his status as a religious minority, and thus fled Egypt, emigrating to the United States, specifically to Maitland, Florida, in 2006. Mina described the similarities and differences in performing Christian worship music in Egypt and the United States. Additionally, Mina discussed how his minority status shifted from religion to ethnicity once he settled in the United States, with the legacies of the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks influencing such changes. Realizing that performing music proved ineffective for sustaining a family, Mina returned to school, graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematics education in 2012, where he merged his passion for teaching with his love of math. Mina recounted his professional career in education, working as a teacher for several schools across Seminole County. In 2022, Mina graduated with a master’s in education leadership from the University of Central Florida, allowing him to serve as an assistant principal in Seminole County for two years. Mina explained his current role of leading the Department of Educational Technology, and how the COVID Pandemic influenced this decision. Lastly, Mina shared his broader observations about Florida and its cultural changes for almost twenty years.