A big hope that one day I can go back to my job and work as an engineer.

- Ali, ECE® Aid recipient

Disclaimer: Ali’s name has been changed to protect his identity.

Meet one of our recent ECE® Aid recipients, Ali, a chemical engineer from Iraq who simply loves his line of work.

After earning a bachelor’s degree Ali began working as a project engineer for the government of Iraq. But as the situation within Iraq worsened, he decided to move to the United Arab Emirates in 2006.

As his stay in the UAE continued to improve over time, Ali was able to use his degree and work experience to obtain a project manager position in Dubai. Ali was promoted yearly, had his first child, and began working towards a master’s degree in business administration.

However, in 2014 two major events occurred that would forever change Ali’s life and the path that he was on. First, Ali’s family grew with a second child who was unfortunately born with a rare medical condition. Coming to the U.S. would offer excellent medical treatment for Ali’s child. Second, a threat to his life occurred, making Ali’s departure to the U.S. that much more critical. It was time for Ali and his family to pick up their lives and move again, this time to the United States.

Unaware that credential evaluation was an option, Ali discovered that continuing your education as an international student in the U.S. can cost three times that of a resident. This was money Ali just did not have. His engineering career was soon replaced by multiple odd jobs so Ali could feed his family and tend to his child’s mounting medical bills.

Luckily, Upwardly Global discovered that Ali needed a little help in life, and an ECE evaluation was the first step towards helping Ali rebuild his career in the United States. Ali now has a “big hope that one day I can go back to my job and work as an engineer.”