2021 Scholar of the Year: Aziz Ahmadzai

In 2019, following two plane crashes, the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded. Aziz, a father of six and a Spirit Aerosystems employee at the time, found himself suddenly jobless due to these unforeseen circumstances.

Without a high school diploma, his options for jobs that would help him provide for his family were limited. He knew he had to obtain his diploma in order to compete with other job seekers in the aviation manufacturing field.

Aziz began working towards this goal with NexStep Alliance and instructors could quickly see that Aziz was a positive and perseverant person. He kept up with his school work while supporting his family as an Uber driver and still always found the time to encourage other students to reach their own goals as well.

Aziz has earned his high school diploma and continued on to pursue his Associate’s degree in Machining Technology through NexStep’s partnership with WSU Tech. He’s on track to graduate in May 2022.

He knows the benefit an education holds and wants to share that with others. Grateful for his time at NexStep, he made the generous decision to pay it forward by making a donation to cover another student’s GED test.

He has encouraged his wife to attend English as a Second Language classes through NexStep and uses a home classroom to help his children with their schoolwork while also completing his own. With the help of NexStep, Aziz has reached his career goals and set an example for his children to follow for years to come.