Erie, Pa.—Former Mercyhurst Rower Amel Younis is rowing for his home country of Palestine in Light Men's Single at World Championships.

It is just fourth time that Palestine will be represented at the world championships. Younis was born in Worchester, Mass. but is of Palestinian and Irish descent. After high school Younis joined the Mercyhurst lightweight team and rowed four seasons with the Lakers.

Director of Rowing, Adrian Spraklen spoke very highly of Younis. "Amel had a tremendous impact as part during his time here.  He was one of the most passionate and empathetic people I have known. His teammates loved him as much as he loved them. He always had a smile on his face, worked really hard and supported his teammates and got such enjoyment out of the achievement of others. He was the ultimate teammate and it is great to see him follow his dream and we are all so proud of what he has accomplished thus far."

Younis is proud to represent Palestine ""It means the world to me," he told row2k. "I'm American, and I'm of Palestinian and Irish descent, and just being here and being able to represent Palestine and seeing our flag with the other flags, with the other nations, is a really beautiful thing. It means the world to me, because, growing up in the States, whether as an actor or a model or artist or a musician, I never really got to see myself in that way. There's obviously stereotypes and stigmas but there's a lot of beautiful qualities about being Palestinian."