Bahjat Askandar and his family moved to Oshkosh, WI from Iraq in 2014.
Bahjat did not know a lot of English when he arrived here. He was a skilled welder by trade back at home and prioritized learning English and working on professional skills to meet the U.S. industry standards.
He enrolled in all of the programs we offer here at the Literacy Council and later in a Welding program with Fox Valley Technical College. Upon graduation, he got a job with Generac Power Systems in Oshkosh. The company management saw his potential and recognized his professional expertise. They greatly encouraged and supported Bahjat in improving his English communication skills so he could be promoted to the Supervisory position in his department. With this goal in mind, Bahjat returned to the Literacy Council and started working with one on one with a tutor to achieve his goal. All his effort and dedication paid off – this year he got a promotion and is now working as a supervisor in a welding department at Generac. Having improved his financial situation, Bahjat saved enough money to buy his own house for the family.
His current goal is to send his elder daughter to college. She dreams to be an Immigration Attorney. We wish Bahjat and his loved ones all the best, and congratulations on your success!
