Reynolds Community College Student
Seeking Degree: AS Mechanical Engineering
Karim Sultan is going
to be an engineer. Minutes in to a conversation with him, it’s evident
engineering is a perfect career choice. He’s studious, deliberate, direct,
analytical, and he gets really excited by his classes.
This semester he’s taking Dynamics. Dynamics, if you're not familiar with engineering, is the study of unbalanced forces on a system, like the acceleration of a piston in an engine. If applied
to Karim, Dynamics would reveal what moves him toward engineering is more
than his personality. It’s his passion.
“I’m passionate about the Earth. I’ve traveled around the
world, and seen some beautiful sights, and I want to do something to preserve
our awesome planet. I want to work on alternative energy sources that preserve our environment.” And Karim has a plan to learn to do that. After Reynolds he is heading
to VCU. “I want to study nuclear fusion after my bachelors degree is complete.” Not fission, he clarifies. Fission is breaking atoms apart; fusion is pushing them together – much more difficult but with less waste. “After VCU, I want to study Plasma Physics.”
There’s still more moving Karim. “My Mom went to Reynolds,
and she has done really, really well. She is a high-level software developer in
Washington, DC. She has gone far in her career, and speaks very highly of
Reynolds. She got her start here. We came to the United States from Egypt when
I was small. She didn’t speak much English. She got through her education and
now she is doing great, she’s very successful.”
When Karim started at Reynolds he had an auto glass business
and DJ’d at local bars to pay his bills. One of his first classes was
Engineering Graphics. He started calling local engineering firms, and soon landed
an internship. He knew immediately he had found his place in the world. Next he
got his AutoCAD (Computer Aided Design) certificate. Then came a job as Drafter
with Dominion Energy. Karim still DJ’s because it’s fun, but he’s given up his
auto glass gig to focus on his studies and his work.
“I really like Dominion. I work with engineers all day, and
I love it. I’m drafting electrical panels now and learning a lot about
electrical engineering, not my field, but I will use the knowledge someday. Eventually
Dominion will pay for my school.”
“Reynolds is great. I am really happy to be here and couldn’t
imagine being at a better community college. I could say the professors are
excellent teachers, but it’s more than that. The professors here pass on their
real life experience, not just information. Professor Clay is my advisor. She
can talk about the engineering job market, her life experience working as an
engineer, and what it’s like in the field. I feel like I have a strong support
team, and will come out of school knowing what to expect, and being prepared to
deal with it.”
You don’t need to understand Dynamics to appreciate the vast
distance travelled between auto glass and Plasma Physics. Reynolds
has helped launch Karim Sultan on his upward trajectory, and we look forward to
watching him cross the graduation stage and continue his journey.
