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PRIME Stories

SME PRIME Supports Immigrant-Focused Engineering School

Asaad and Neran Kalasho, a married couple who emigrated from Iraq to the Detroit area in the 1970s, envisioned establishing an engineering-focused educational opportunity for students arriving from war-torn regions. With the 2024 award of an SME PRIME® (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) program, the Kalashos’ vision became a reality. The Invest Roosevelt School of Engineering, a recent addition to the Invest Roosevelt Alternative High School in Hazel Park, Michigan, equips students with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering.

SME PRIME students at Invest Roosevelt are engaged with four different manufacturing- and engineering-related instructional programs: Metrology & Quality, CAD/CAM, Additive Manufacturing, and Mechatronics & Robotics. Students participate in hands-on learning opportunities that position them to earn industry-recognized credentials, helping them thrive in the workforce and assist in closing the engineering talent gap.

The school’s partnership with SME PRIME started about a year and a half ago when Dylan Kalasho — the son of Asaad and Neran, the school’s founders — met Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation, at a golf scramble. “I told Rob that immigrants just want a shot at working really hard,” says Dylan. Recognizing that English language learners have an extra hurdle to overcome in their educational journey, Dylan sees a unique role for SME PRIME in meeting Invest Roosevelt’s student needs. “The students love engineering,” he says. “Numbers are universal. It’s a little easier to learn robotics than something in the English language.”

Currently, the school is experiencing a large influx of Afghani and Syrian students. The students work in a dedicated room with manufacturing and engineering educational equipment that was provided through SME PRIME. Equipment includes a Universal robotic arm, a Stratasys 3D printer, a Snap-on Precision Measuring Instruments kit, new computers and mechatronic-oriented training equipment. To help prepare instructors to teach with the new equipment, several members of the school’s staff traveled to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Arizona for professional development training on several items.

“SME sparked something in a lot of our kids,” says Dylan, noting that before the students had an opportunity to participate in SME PRIME, they hadn’t considered careers in engineering and manufacturing. With the arrival of the new program, he says, “They’re having a blast with 3D printing and the robotic remote-control vehicles.”

The Kalashos’ journey into the field of education started in the early 1990s, when Asaad and Neran created Arab Chaldean Community Outreach Services (AACCOS) in Detroit’s “Chaldean Town” neighborhood. Neran became program coordinator for AACCOS, which quickly established success contracting with the Detroit Public Schools district to serve adults in underserved communities,

At Invest Roosevelt Alternative High School, 126 of 347 students are enrolled in the SME PRIME program. As part of the program, students have been visiting manufacturing companies such as FANUC and Magna International, and the school takes students on field trips all over the metro Detroit area.

According to Dylan, participation in SME PRIME has encouraged a lot of Invest Roosevelt students to consider attending Macomb County Community College, Lawrence Technological University or Henry Ford Community College after high school for engineering or mechanical programs. “Before offering the SME PRIME program, we had students interested in going to universities and colleges, but I would say engagement with SME PRIME has helped increase that interest — I would say it’s 50-50 now. Fifty percent of those kids will probably be more interested in going to colleges or universities and 50% will get into the trades, whereas before it was like 20-30.”

Another thing Dylan admires about SME PRIME is its longevity. "Honestly, I can’t even put it into words,” he says. “SME PRIME is the type of program that doesn’t just get you started, it’s there for a long time. That is priceless to me, and I’m not even a hyperbolic person. We’re very grateful, and our students are very grateful.”

Looking forward to the next few years at Invest Roosevelt, Dylan says the SME PRIME program is offering students an enhancement to their educational experience while allowing the school to expand. “It makes us look really good,” he says. “It has opened the door to a lot of opportunities, but more than that, I think it increased our students’ self-esteem. When you work with beautiful equipment, and you just left a country that was obliterated by war and turmoil — it’s really inspired the students to try harder.”