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In the history of the NFL Draft, thousands of names have been called. No Egyptian name had ever been among them — until Ahmed Hassanein. Ahmed didn’t arrive at that moment by accident. He arrived through years of work most people never saw — in practice facilities, film rooms, and early mornings that didn’t make the highlight reel. He arrived as the son of Egyptian immigrants who crossed an ocean so their children could stand somewhere they never had. And when his name was called, he became the first. But before the draft room, there was a brother — Cory Besch — who saw something in Ahmed before the world did, introduced him to football, and opened doors that Ahmed didn’t yet know existed. This is the story of a first. And the people who made it possible.

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He was born in the U.S. and raised in Cairo. He didn't touch a football until he was a teenager in California. A few years later, the Detroit Lions called his name, and Ahmed Hassanein became the first Egyptian ever drafted into the NFL.

But the draft is only part of his story.

In Episode 02 of Beyond the Nile, we talk about identity, perseverance, and what it means to carry a whole country with you onto the field. From Cairo to California to Boise State to Detroit. One journey. One historic first.

Episode drops Wednesday, September 16. You don't want to miss this one.

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He was the first in his family to attend an American university.

Nobody in his household had a roadmap for what came next.

George Helmy talks about that moment — and the unexpected role sports played in shaping where he ended up.

Full episode: Now live on Beyond the Nile. 

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George Helmy grew up the son of Egyptian immigrants in New Jersey — in Jersey City, then Glen Ridge — navigating two cultures and two sets of expectations. He went to Rutgers, then Harvard. He spent years doing the unglamorous work of government — casework desks, constituent files, the work nobody sees. He became the longest-serving Chief of Staff in New Jersey history. He managed the state’s response to a once-in-a-century pandemic. And then one Tuesday afternoon in September 2024, he walked onto the floor of the United States Senate as the first Egyptian-American ever to hold that seat. The first thing he did after casting his first vote was call his father. This is not a political story. This is an Egyptian story. And most of it has never been told.

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Jersey City to Glen Ridge.

Two towns. Two completely different worlds. One Egyptian kid trying to figure out where he fit in both of them.

That journey — long before the Senate — shaped everything.

George Helmy. Episode one. September 2nd.

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For 25 years, I've made my living as a trial lawyer, asking questions, listening closely, and finding the human story beneath the facts.

Now, I'm asking different questions.

Beyond the Nile was born from a desire to preserve the stories of the Egyptian diaspora: the journeys, sacrifices, failures, breakthroughs, and people behind extraordinary achievement.

Egypt gave the world one of its earliest great civilizations. Thousands of years later, Egyptians across the diaspora are still building, leading, creating, healing, competing, and quietly changing the world.

These are their stories.

Not just what they accomplished.

How they got there.

Welcome to Beyond the Nile.

Now on YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

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Before the U.S. Senate — he was the guy behind the guy.

The longest-serving Chief of Staff to any Governor in New Jersey history. Managing a state of nine million people. Navigating a once-in-a-century pandemic. Doing the work that never gets the headline.

And then one day — he became the headline.

George Helmy. First Egyptian-American United States Senator.

Episode one drops September 2nd. 

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Before draft day. Before anyone knew his name.

Ahmed Hassanein, the first Egyptian drafted into the NFL.

Beyond the Nile. September 30th. Subscribe now.

Share your story with Beyond the Nile.

There are thousands of Egyptians who crossed an ocean and built something extraordinary in America.

Most of their stories have never been told.

Until now.

Beyond the Nile launches September 2nd.