Alumnus is a featured speaker at UM-Dearborn Commencement

Almunthir Elhady, HFC alumnus to serve as student speaker at UM-Dearborn commencement ceremonies.

HFC alumnus Almunthir Elhady will be the Student Speaker at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Fall 2024 Commencement Ceremonies on Saturday, December 21.

“I am honored to have been chosen,” said Elhady. “My speech is about taking the next step in our lives and how it’s not the end of an era, but the start of a brand new one.”

“What you are willing to become”

UM-Dearborn has a competitive application process, said UM-Dearborn Dean of Students Dr. Amy Finley. Graduating seniors must submit a draft and video of their proposed speech. A committee composed of faculty, staff, and students reviews all of the submissions and determines who the speaker will be.

Elhady shared an excerpt from his speech: “We gather here not to mark the end of an era, but to look forward to the horizon that calls to each of us, to a world waiting for your hands to shape it. For your hands to meticulously and carefully mold into a future you can call your own. Into a life where every action carries weight, and every step leads to the unknown. The degree you hold today is your compass into the unknown. Its power is not in the parchment or the accolades or the cords around your neck, but in what you choose to do with it. It guarantees neither success nor an easy life. Each decision, each trial you face will not simply test what you have learned, but what you are willing to become.”

Finley was impressed with Elhady’s speech.

“I think his speech is uplifting and will resonate with students,” she said. “He has excellent oration skills, excellent analogies and metaphors. He was easy to listen to and just pulls you in with what he says.”

HFC is an invaluable tool for the community

Born in Detroit, Elhady is the second of five children and lives in Dearborn. Fluent in English and Arabic, he is a graduate of Dearborn High School, where he played football and was involved in the Business Professionals of America and the Creative Writing Club, among other student groups. He attended DHS while dual enrolled at HFC. Elhady studied computer science at HFC, where he served as president of the Programming Club.

“Being a dual enrollment student give me a jumpstart on college,” said Elhady. “It helped me save money and just get a leg-up on everyone else. It was a great resource. What I like about HFC is it’s an invaluable tool for the community, especially those who return to get an associate degree or some form of education later in life.”

Elhady will be awarded bachelor’s degrees in computer and information science and in data science from UM-Dearborn. He plans to pursue a career in software engineering.

“I began programming at 13. It was always something I liked. I genuinely enjoy programming – to create something like that with my own hands, there’s a feeling of satisfaction, especially after struggling. It’s like a puzzle. Data science pairs wells with computer and information science. Its purpose is efficiency to use data to be more accurate and precise.”

Dual enrollment saved Elhady two years of college

A major influence on Elhady was HFC computer information systems (CIS) instructor Kimberly Moscardelli.

“She was the best professor I had,” said Elhady. “Her class really helped build on my programming skills, which came in handy at UM-Dearborn. She was about hands-on learning and really cared about us learning the material.”

Elhady was grateful that HFC prepared him academically for UM-Dearborn.

“My dad told me that I should sign up for dual enrollment classes when I was 15. I said, ‘I don’t want to take college classes. I just want to have fun.’ We went to the dual enrollment information session, and I was glad we did. Dual enrollment saved me two years of college. It allowed me to get college experience and get into that mindset. I’m 21 and I have more than 160 undergraduate credits. You don’t get that unless you get a head start. I had a huge advantage over everyone else when I went to UM-Dearborn,” he recalled.

Giving back to the community

Elhady attended UM-Dearborn on the HAIL Scholarship, the Edison Scholarship, and the Ocean Blue Scholarship.

During his time at UM-Dearborn, Elhady served as Student Government senator for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, president of the Muslim Students’ Association, and treasurer for the Yemeni Students’ Association. During his time with the MSA and YSA, Elhady helped raise $40,000:

Elhady’s extracurricular activities don’t stop there. Outside UM-Dearborn, he has coached the Dearborn Lions youth football team for two years. He also advocated for a ward representation system in Dearborn for the Dearborn Wants Wards campaign.

“My journey has been shaped by my family’s values of perseverance and giving back to the community,” said Elhady. “One quote that has always inspired me, loosely translated from Arabic, is ‘To change the world, one must first look inward, then to their home, and only then to their country.’”

Finley expressed how proud she is of Elhady.

“Almunthir is an engaged student leader who does an excellent job of representing UM-Dearborn,” said Finley. “He’s a transfer student, but he’s has been involved on our campus the moment he arrived. He hit the ground running here and didn’t waste a moment. That’s who we are: a community that he represents well.”