Achieve your dreams at CCC

Mohammed Zaher came to the United States in 2000 from the United Arab Emirates. His family had been here for 20 years, and it had always been his dream to join them. He had heard that the U.S. was a land of opportunity and that one could become whatever they wanted to be. He started from scratch here and worked all kinds of jobs to get ahead. Knowing that he needed to improve his English skills, he entered the English as a Second Language program at the intermediate level and completed the advanced level in one year. Motivated to get a degree in engineering, Mohammed began taking college classes such as math, physics, writing, and speech. He graduated from CCC in 2005 and is transferring to Portland State University to complete his degree in mechanical engineering. Mohammed could end up designing airplanes for Boeing or working for Nike, where he is currently employed. Mohammed says, “In America, you can be anything you want to be. That is not available in other countries.” Mohammed graduated from PSU with a degree in civil engineering. He also achieved his dream of working for Nike, which he did for three years.  Now Mohammed it getting his Master’s in Business Administration while working for the city of Vancouver as a transportation engineer.  He plans to go back to work for Nike when he finishes his degree.