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Three years after arriving from Yemen without speaking English, Bryant High School senior Mohammad is preparing to graduate with three state SkillsUSA medals and a competitive apprenticeship offering starting pay of $27 an hour.
His transition to Fairfax County required him to learn a new language and unfamiliar technology at the same time. Schools in Yemen had relied on paper and ink, he said, while his new classrooms featured laptops and advanced equipment.
“Typing was a big challenge for me,” Mohammad said.
Facing a limited window before adulthood, he focused on steady progress. His approach was to set manageable goals and work toward them each day, one step at a time.
Bryant High School’s flexible learning environment helped Mohammad accelerate his education and develop his English skills. Counselor Margaret Veenstra and Director of Student Services Pipi Harrison also recognized abilities he had brought from Yemen, including photography and design, and encouraged him to turn those interests into a career path.
Although Mohammad was interested in engineering, he selected Edison Academy’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning program as his starting point.
“This is his launching point,” Veenstra said. “He is either going to own an HVAC company or become an engineer. There is no limit to his ambition.”
An Early Loss Becomes Motivation
Mohammad entered the SkillsUSA championships during his first year at Edison Academy but left without a medal. He responded by photographing the winners and closely studying how they worked.
“He wanted to be better,” HVAC instructor Robert Stringham said. Students often begin the program barely able to handle basic tools, he added, but eventually learn to construct sophisticated projects.
Mohammad’s persistence delivered results at the Virginia SkillsUSA Championships in spring 2026. He placed first in Program Design and earned second-place medals in both HVAC and T-shirt Design.
His technical training also secured him a place in the highly competitive Steamfitters Local 602 apprenticeship. One of the youngest applicants accepted, Mohammad will enter a high-demand field after graduation with structured opportunities for advancement.
A Leader Beyond the Workshop
Teachers say Mohammad’s influence extends well beyond his technical accomplishments. He tutors students who need help, arranges Friday night soccer games and drives classmates who otherwise could not attend.
“When I think of Mohammad, I think of the best of FCPS,” Harrison said. “He cares about his own success, but he also cares about helping others get ahead, too.”
Harrison said Mohammad independently began mentoring another Bryant student who was facing academic and personal difficulties. That student later told her, “I want to be like Mohammad.”
Mohammad also received Edison Academy’s top administrative honor. As he moves from a difficult transition into a promising career, he continues to credit the same daily discipline that carried him through his first three years in the United States.