Faisal Alnakhala has found more than a job as a tutor in Schoolcraft College’s Learning Center—he has found a community. As an immigrant, finding community was an important goal of his and the Learning Center at Schoolcraft was the perfect opportunity for him to do just that.
Alnakhala was offered the tutoring position before the start of fall semester and he has found teaching others to be a rewarding experience.
“I decided that I wanted to get involved on campus as much as possible so that I would get better at speaking English, and it definitely helped me,” said Alnakhala
An Honor’s Program Student, Phi Theta Kappa Officer and a Learning Center Tutor, Alnakhala has a lot on his academic plate. When he thinks about why he puts the effort in, the future-engineer referred back to a moment he was particularly proud of. As someone who found the transition to English difficult, he saw a way to improve as a speaker and as a member of his community by helping struggling students learn.
When he first started at the Learning Center, at the beginning of last semester, while Alnakhana was still new as a tutor, a student walked into a crowded room full of students and asked for help. Alnakhana could see that this student was having a hard time with the material, and it became clear almost immediately that the student who had walked in really needed the support of a patient, confident tutor. Even though he had little experience teaching that specific math class, Alnakhala jumped right in.
“So, I figured I’d give it a shot… I was also having a really hard time thinking ‘oh, I’m not explaining this well enough, but she started coming every day and asking for me, specifically, which made me feel great because I could see her, every day, getting better at the material.”
Although he enjoys tutoring, Alnakhala’s main focus is pursuing his career. He’s working towards a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, and wants to work in the industry after graduating. Thanks to Schoolcraft’s attention to community, Alnakhala became not just a Student Employee but an important and impactful member of a community of students.
“[Tutoring] made me realize there’s nothing wrong with asking questions. I thought about how hundreds of students come into the tutoring center, and it made me realize that there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Alnakhana
Alnakhala plans on completing the Honor’s Program this semester and concluding his capstone project with Medina Labs, where he will host workshops teaching young students CAD and 3D printing.
Congratulations to Faisal Alnakhala for January’s Student Employee of the Month.
