Watching Anzuruni’s Future Take Flight

Last Friday, under the soft winter sun on Dickson Street, I met Anzuruni at Puritan Coffee to talk about his next step in life.

What unfolded across the table mattered far more than an ordinary conversation.

Anzuruni is graduating this May from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Aerospace Engineering. He has already accepted a position with a major aerospace company in Atlanta, an offer he received before Thanksgiving, seven months before graduation.

On paper, that alone is impressive.

But that is not the heart of this story.

Eight Years Ago

I joined Canopy only a month or so before Anzuruni and his family arrived in Arkansas. We were neighbors at Lightbearers Apartments in those early days of resettlement before the Kalulu family moved to Springdale.

What began as proximity slowly became friendship.

Over the last eight years, I have watched Mr. Kalulu and Mrs. Kalulu raise their children with dignity, consistency, and deep love. I have watched them work hard without complaint. I have watched their sons grow into thoughtful, driven young men.

They are an extraordinary family not because of headlines, but because of steadiness, humility, and perseverance.

I feel fortunate to know them.

“Coming to America paved my future.”

Anzuruni was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His family had fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spent years navigating displacement before resettling in Northwest Arkansas in April 2018. He was 13 years old when he arrived.

When he talks about coming here, there is no dramatization in his voice.

“Coming here was a big step for me as a teen,” he said. “It paved my future.”

He tested ahead a grade and entered American high school in 10th grade.

“The hardest part wasn’t school,” he told me. “It was the social life.”

Growing up, after school meant soccer until evening, friends gathered outside, and community woven into daily life. Here, school ended and everyone went home.

That shift, more than academics, was the adjustment.

And yet, he moved forward.

“Remember your why.”

If there is one phrase that captures Anzuruni’s journey, it is this: remember your why.

“My parents always told me to remember why I’m doing something,” he said. “For me, the why is to support my family.”

His parents sacrificed their own dreams so their children could pursue theirs. His mother once hoped to work in the medical field. That dream was paused so her children could have stability and opportunity.

“They sacrificed their dreams for me to chase mine,” he said. “So I feel obligated to pay them back.”

In many immigrant families, success is shared. It is not individual. It circles back.

Anzuruni does not speak of ambition as self promotion. He speaks of it as responsibility.

A Teacher Who Saw Him

Along the way, there was a math teacher at Harbor High who noticed something early. Brian Jamison.

“He told me I belong in engineering or math,” Anzuruni said. “He believed in me.”

Mr. Jamison encouraged him to apply for scholarships and affirmed what was already forming.

Belief has a long shelf life. Sometimes one adult saying you can do this changes the direction of everything.

Building Planes and Something Bigger

Anzuruni’s eyes light up most when he talks about his university project.

He is part of a 16 student aerospace design team at the University of Arkansas competing internationally against nearly 180 universities from across the United States and the world.

Their team is currently ranked third.

Third.

“This is just the design phase,” he said. “Next is building and flying.”

Their goal is ambitious. To bring the top model home to Arkansas.

When he talks about the project, it is never about individual credit. It is about the team. Late nights in the lab. Iteration. Testing. Learning how to fail and fix together.

It is engineering.

But it is also leadership.

Strength That Often Goes Unseen

When I asked how he hopes people see refugees after hearing his story, he paused.

“People often see refugees through the lens of vulnerability and while that is real,” he said, “they don’t always see their strengths.”

He spoke about diversity not as a slogan but as perspective. Different backgrounds produce different approaches to problem solving.

“Sometimes there are skills I bring that people wouldn’t think of,” he said. “Things I learned growing up.”

And I would invite us to see that too.

Refugees do not arrive empty. They arrive carrying resilience, adaptability, intelligence, work ethic, and insight shaped by lived experience. They bring strengths often forged under pressure that enrich classrooms, companies, labs, neighborhoods, and communities.

Finding His Path

Like many children of immigrants, Anzuruni grew up hearing a familiar theme: become a doctor.

“I’m glad they didn’t force me,” he said. “They were supportive even when I changed my mind.”

He explored mathematics, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and eventually found aerospace.

Now, as graduation approaches, he speaks about the future simply.

“I just want to work. Get my engineering license. Grow.”

Seven months before graduation, he received an offer from a major aerospace company.

“I think luck played a part,” he said.

Maybe.

But luck tends to meet persistence and talent.

Mentorship and Mindset

When we talked about hardship, Anzuruni did not offer slogans.

“Don’t keep things to yourself,” he said. “Talk to someone.”

Mentorship, for him, means having someone who listens without judgment. Someone who has walked ahead and can guide you when things feel heavy.

“Mentorship is free,” he said. “And it matters.”

Arkansas

I asked what he would miss most about Arkansas.

“The people,” he said. “I’ve never had issues here. People are welcoming.”

His family will remain here. He will move for work. But Arkansas will always be home.

“We’re just regular people chasing our dreams.”

At the end of our conversation, I asked how he hopes people will see immigrants and refugees after hearing his story.

“I don’t want them to see us differently,” he said. “We’re just regular people chasing our dreams.”

That sentence stayed with me.

People sometimes say refugee resettlement must be fulfilling work. I often say yes. It is meaningful and it is challenging. But stories like Anzuruni’s are why it matters.

The work does not end when a family arrives. It continues quietly over years through education, mentorship, resilience, and community.

And I am grateful to have witnessed this chapter.

Why This Work Matters

At Canopy, we believe welcoming refugees is not a moment. It is a long term commitment. A commitment to walk alongside families as they rebuild, grow, and contribute in ways both seen and unseen.

Anzuruni’s journey is one story among many. It reflects what becomes possible when families are met with dignity, when young people are believed in early, and when communities choose welcome over fear.

We are honored to be part of stories like this and to keep showing up for the chapters still being written.

This piece is written by Khalid Ahmadzai of Canopy NWA, who first met Anzuruni’s family when they arrived in Arkansas and has remained connected to them over the past eight years.