Building the Future: Alumni Help Shape the Next Era of the Aims

Two Aims alumni, Saeed Saeed and Amiri Ellington, are helping bring that future to life. These are full-circle journeys as the former students are using their skills to give back to an institution that they both love and credit with their success.  

Saeed’s Journey of Building Community 

When Saeed Saeed arrived in the United States in 2012, he didn’t speak English and didn’t know where to begin reviving his career in construction. But he did know one thing: he wasn’t done building. Over the years, through perseverance and hard work, he was proven right.  

Today, he is thriving in the industry in Northern Colorado. Saeed is a 2021 Aims Community College graduate with an Associate's Degree in Construction Management. He is working as a Field Engineer with Fransen Pittman Construction. Saeed’s journey at Aims has come full circle, as he is on the construction team building the new Student Health and Wellness Center on the Greeley Campus.  

Saeed grew up in Iraq and received a Bachelor of Construction Engineering from the University of Technology in the Middle East, where he worked on several large building projects. When his family’s safety was threatened, he applied for immigration through the United Nations in Jordan and began the long process of relocating to the United States. Saeed spent a year and a half in Jordan working on construction projects, including hotel renovations and residential construction.  

After a long journey, he moved with his family to the U.S. and then to Colorado in 2014. “I had goals and dreams to achieve, but I didn’t have the tools, the language, the culture,” he said. “So I started from zero. I learned English from movies, music and talking to people. I just kept going.” 

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.” 

Like many students balancing work and school, he took classes part-time while working full-time jobs. These were positions that were unfulfilling and Amiri knew that he wanted a career, not just a job. “I realized I wanted to do something in the industry, not just punch a clock,” he said. While working at King Soopers, Amiri spoke to a man who was wearing Roche Construction gear, “I figured that was my time to say something.”  This conversation led to an internship with the company, which eventually resulted in a full-time job.  

Amiri’s first significant project with Roche was at Dayspring Christian Academy during his internship. He joined the project at a later stage of construction, which provided him with experience in the vertical phase of the build. “At Dayspring, I didn’t get the civil side or utility work,” he said. “By the time I got there, the basement was already done. But it taught me a lot about the finishing process and how everything comes together.” That experience helped him understand the flow of construction from the ground up and it made him want to be part of a project from the very beginning. 

At Roche, he was allowed to learn and grow in his various roles within the company as he progressed through the ranks. “They’re not expecting you to know everything off the bat, but showing that eagerness to learn is what matters. All people want is to know you care and want to grow.” 

In addition to the technical aspects of the career, Amiri thrives as a people person. “I love talking to people and building relationships that help you grow. That kind of teamwork feeds my soul.” 

He also hopes to inspire others to see the potential in construction careers. “I want people to see how awesome construction is,” he said. “There are so many paths, you don’t have just to pour concrete or sit in an office. There’s something for everyone.” 

Amiri’s path in this field is one of peaks and valleys. The past year has been one of the most challenging and rewarding of Amiri’s life. He got married, lost his father to cancer and learned he would soon become a father himself. With only 12 credits left, he temporarily paused his associate’s degree but plans to return to Aims when the time is right. “It’s been a crazy year,” he said. “Losing my dad, getting married, finding out we’re having a baby; it’s a lot. But I’m not done. I’ll finish what I started.” 

Until he returns to school, Amiri spends his days helping to coordinate the complex AWIC project, which includes cutting-edge features such as geothermal heating systems and geo-piers that stabilize the foundation near the groundwater table. “This job is incredible,” he said. “Even the waterproofing we’re using is next-level. It’s exciting to be part of something that’s not just another building but a forward-looking project for Aims.” 

He is also excited about the building's design. “They’re using laminated beams that’ll stay exposed inside and it’s beautiful,” Amiri said. “The architect said they don’t do ‘normal’ buildings anymore. We’re expecting it to look amazing.” 

For Amiri, working on the Aims campus project is a very personal experience. “I’m a Greeley boy. I love Greeley. I love Aims,” he said. “It’s awesome to be part of building something lasting here,  something that future students will walk through every day.” 

When he’s not on the job, Amiri helps run his family’s BBQ food truck in Greeley, often donating leftovers to local shelters. He’s proud to give back to the community that raised him. “Being able to put something up in a year and then drive by with my wife and say, ‘I was on that job,’ feeds my soul,” he said. “I’ve always seen Aims growing up, and now I get to be part of building it. That means everything.” 

For Saeed Saeed and Amiri Ellington, the work is personal. Long after the last beam is set, their craftsmanship and their journeys will continue to shape the story of Aims.