Adam Ulissey is Creating a Sustainable Design for his Future as an Environmental Engineer

Adam Ulissey

DCCCD STEM Institute Scholar, El Centro College

Adam Ulissey is creating a sustainable design for his future, one where he can make a difference in the world as an environmental engineer.

“I want to work in sustainable design – my dream career would be biomimicry design of buildings,” he says. (Based on the Greek words for “imitating life,” biomimicry is the science of biologically-inspired engineering, using examples from nature to solve human design issues.)

Through the STEM Institute, Adam has benefited from personal advisement by Dr. Kendra Wallis, a STEM Citi Faculty Fellow and physics professor at Eastfield College. “Having a personal mentor is like having a friend who’s always willing to do something for you,” he says. “It’s been good to be able to ask direct questions to someone who knows what’s going on in the field, and to have help with the transfer process to a four-year university.”
Since last summer, he’s also had a paid internship at Ft. Worth’s Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), where he works with its living rooftop, constructed to mimic a naturally thriving ecosystem. “My project has been

surveying insects on the rooftop habitat, and helping analyze data to compare it to their original ecosystem,” he says, already exhibiting the excitement of a research scientist towards his work. “Having an internship has been great. I want to get real experience in my field every step of the way.”
The next step in his educational path: earning a bachelor’s degree for a future career that he hopes will include biomimicry design, creating energy-efficient homes and appliances, and championing recycling. He was recently accepted to Colorado State University, which offers a nationally renowned environmental sciences program

Ahmed Rashad Elhelw

“I never dreamt that I would ever be able to come to the U.S. to attend college.”

 AHMED ELHELW

By: Marco Ayllon

El Centro College, Dallas College

Just ask Ahmed Rashad Elhelw. America really is the land of opportunity. Growing up in Egypt, he came to the U.S. in part to fulfill his father’s dream that he earn an engineering degree in the states. When his father died barely a month after his arrival, so did Ahmed’s financial means to fund a university education.

“Financial difficulties with my family meant that I couldn’t start a university engineering program,” Ahmed says. “I also realized my English wasn’t good enough.” He decided to stay in Dallas after finding out that Brookhaven College offered a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program and English as a Second Language.

Ahmed took two semesters of English language classes before beginning the GIS program at Brookhaven, where he received a DCCCD Foundation Muse scholarship. “Getting the Muse scholarship has meant a lot to me,” he says. “I was very concerned about being able to provide tuition for myself.”

Now fluent in English, he dreams of earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering after he completes his associate degree. His career goal is to become a petroleum engineer and return to Egypt.

For now, he lives with an American family, is active in student government, and works part-time in the college’s Student Life Center. He also serves as a student representative on the DCCCD Foundation board of directors.

“I never dreamt that I would ever be able to come to the U.S. to attend college,” he says. “I always had a dream to study engineering. “
I most appreciate that in this country, you are rewarded when you work hard,” he says. “I studied hard and was able to earn a scholarship. There’s just more opportunity in the U.S. for higher education.”