Azad Sarraj, standing, takes time to answer a student's question.

Azad Sarraj, a native of Kurdistan, has made the Skill Center his new professional home. He is now an instructor's assistant in the Maricopa Skill Center Computer Technology Programs. Azad, a Maricopa Skill Center graduate, was forced to flee his war-torn country when Saddam Hussein began to murder his countrymen. He sought financial and political asylum in the United States. He and his family traveled first to Guam, where they were welcomed by the Americans. Then they ventured to the continental U.S. to begin a new life.

Azad said he decided to learn English when, "I had to ask my children 'what are people saying?'" He was able to master English in three months. He found that the ESOL classes at the Maricopa Skill Center/Rio Salado College Learning Center helped immensely. While at the Skill Center, he decided to learn computer skills and desktop publishing so he could add them to his resume. "We had a great understanding of numbers in my country, but no knowledge of computers," said Azad, who worked as an accountant for the U.S. Consulate in Kurdistan.

He is now enjoying life in the United States. Two daughters have graduated from high school and he has three children still in school. All of them excel in math.

Azad's biggest surprise was that you can do whatever you dream about in the United States. " In my country, computers were only for special people. Here they are for everyone. "The magic of this country is that it can truly change the world."