He didn’t have an easy start in America. Despite his education and experience, Saeed struggled to find work in the construction industry. “I applied for so many jobs, did so many interviews,” he said. “Some of them I was so close to getting. But for some reason, I didn’t. After a while, I almost gave up.” He continued to study in his field in Fort Collins, earning a Professional Certificate in Construction Management from Colorado State University and a Certificate in Architectural Drafting from Front Range Community College.
Taking those classes helped him realize that he wanted to return to hands-on construction, rather than drafting or designing. That realization, combined with his passion for building, led him to seek a program that better suited him and he found it at Aims.
In 2017, a charity soccer tournament brought Saeed to Aims Community College for the first time. He remembers being struck by the size and beauty of the campus. “I thought, this doesn’t look like a community college. It looks like a university,” he recalled.
A few years later, when he decided to go back to school, Aims was the first place that came to mind. “My wife kept pushing me,” he said with a laugh. “She told me, ‘You’re too smart to stay in your comfort zone.’ She was right.”
Saeed enrolled at Aims in January 2020, just as COVID-19 began. While the pandemic upended many lives, for Saeed it became a turning point. “COVID was a great time for me because I was learning something new. I knew this was the process to achieve my goals.”
For Saeed, Aims is a place that helped him grow in a multitude of ways. “I didn’t just learn construction management,” he said. “I learned how to communicate, how to raise my hand and ask questions with confidence. I learned that there are no stupid questions; the only stupid one is the one you never ask.”
He credits his instructors, especially Construction Management Professor John Mangin, for helping him grow personally and professionally. “When I see John, I see someone who truly wants to help. He always made time for me, and that inspired me to help others,” he said. “Now, I try to give that same support to the new guys at work.”
Mangin also speaks highly of Saeed. “He was an exceptional student and truly a pleasure to have in my classes. In my view, his success is strictly a result of his hard work and dedication. I like to think of how our students fit into the construction industry after they leave our program.”
During his time at Aims, Saeed commuted from Fort Collins to Greeley several times a week. One day, he noticed fencing and heavy equipment on campus, the early stages of what would become the Aims Welcome Center.
“I looked at the site and told my brother, ‘I’m going to work here. I’ll be the boss here,” Saeed recalled with a grin.
He told Mangin about his interest, who connected him with Fransen Pittman Construction, the contractor building the new Aims facilities. After an interview, Saeed landed an internship. His hard work and determination quickly paid off. By August 2021, before even graduating, he was offered a full-time position at Fransen Pittman.
“Aims literally knocked on the door for me and said, ‘Here’s your chance,’” Saeed said. “Then it was up to me to walk through it.”
He graduated from Aims in December 2021. Saeed worked on the Welcome Center project that first caught his eye, helping to complete the extensive site work, including sidewalks, bridges, and landscaping. “Construction isn’t just building, it’s serving the community,” he said. “When I see students walk into a building we built, it gives me pride and joy.”
Today, he’s one of the lead field engineers on the new Student Health and Wellness Center, which will be another significant addition to the Greeley Campus. "We have a great team at Fransen Pittman,” he said. “We all share the same goal, to give Aims and the community something beautiful and long-lasting.”
Saeed sees construction as more than a career, but as a way to give back. “This country changed my life,” he said. “Now I get to serve the community, to build something that makes people happy.”
He encourages students to consider careers in the construction industry. “Construction never stops. You’ll always have work. But more than that, you’re part of a team, solving problems, building something real,” he said. “It’s not a boring job. Every day is different.”
Saeed is grateful that Aims and Fransen Pittman changed his life. “Aims opened the door and taught me how to grow. Fransen Pittman gave me the chance to prove myself. Together, they helped me build the life I dreamed of.”
Amiri Gives Back to the Community That Built Him
For Amiri Ellington, every building tells a story and right now, he’s helping write one of Aims Community College’s next chapters.
Amiri is a Project Engineer with Roche Constructors, working on the new Aims Workforce Innovation Center (AWIC) project. His journey to that place started years earlier in a high school classroom.
He grew up in Greeley and participated in Jefferson High School’s Construction Pathway at the Career and Education Center. This program allowed him to earn Aims credits and learn construction skills through concurrent enrollment. “Out of all my classes: math, social studies, everything; I’d always rather go to construction,” he said.
His high school construction instructor, Matt Weber, encouraged him to further his studies in Construction Management at Aims. It was a direction that made sense to him. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he said. “But construction was the one thing that made sense to me. I love working with my hands, solving problems, and connecting with people. It’s the only thing that ever felt right.”
After graduating from high school, Amiri enrolled at Aims in 2019 and received several certificates in construction. Amiri attributes his success on the job to what he learned at Aims. “Contracts and legal classes helped me understand the jargon I deal with every day. Surveying and scheduling directly transfer to my job. And deadlines? That’s construction in a nutshell. If you say you’ll get it done, people expect you to deliver.”
