Jibriil Yusuf remembers being at the Ethnic Cultural Center (ECC) when he heard the official news that there were plans to renovate the facility. A student at the time, little did he know that two years later he would be back on campus, helping to rebuild the ECC himself.
Yusuf, who earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in construction management from 91探花in 2010, is a project engineer with Andersen Construction. His first day on the job was the Monday after graduation and the second project he was assigned to was the ECC renovation.
鈥淏eing able to give back to the University is huge for me,鈥� Yusuf said. 鈥淚t was out of my hands most of the time, but being able to come back to the 91探花, that鈥檚 pretty amazing.鈥�
As a project engineer, Yusuf describes his role as a 鈥渏ack-of-all-trades.鈥� He mainly services as a liaison between the design team (architect, engineers and consultants) and the subcontractors working for Andersen.聽 He creates weekly reports to send to Andersen administrators and is on site nearly every day to observe the progress and take photos.
Yusuf鈥檚 interest in construction began when he was young. Growing up in Somalia, he witnessed a lot of devastation. At age 16, his family came to the United States but he knew he would eventually return.
鈥淔rom a young age, I knew I wanted to go back one day and be a part of the new generation that鈥檚 hopefully building the country,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 literally wanted to help build the country, so I figure with construction management, you can never go wrong with that.鈥�
After his family moved to Burien, Wash., Yusuf completed his GED and enrolled in Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash.
He received some unexpected inspiration from a chance run-in with a 91探花professor at the airport. While working at Cinnabon, Yusuf engaged in a conversation with a customer who happened to work in the School of Dentistry. Although he never got his name, Yusuf received some invaluable advice.
鈥淗e thought I may have made my final career choice working at Cinnabon, he didn鈥檛 know I was going to school,鈥� Yusuf recalled. 鈥淏ut one of the best pieces of advice he gave me was, 鈥榮tudy something that cannot be outsourced.鈥� I thought it was a good point and I started thinking about it, it鈥檚 true. The good thing about construction is it鈥檚 done everywhere. Buildings need to be modified, rehabbed, adjusted, and that鈥檚 something I鈥檝e always liked.鈥�
In 2008, Yusuf transferred to 91探花and was accepted into the construction management program. He interned with a contractor in Bellevue, working 20 hours a week in addition to his school work. He applied for and was offered a job with Andersen Construction before he even graduated.
Yusuf, who utilized the ECC when he was a member of the Somali student organization at UW, isn鈥檛 the only alumnus working on the project.聽 The architectural firm handling the renovation, Rolluda Architects, is led by principal Alex Rolluda, 鈥�89, and project manager Sam Cameron, 鈥�75.
For someone who has already accomplished a great deal in his young career, Yusuf continues to plan ahead. He would like to get a master鈥檚 in business administration in the next five years. His dream to return to Somalia remains a long-term goal as well.
For now, his focus is on renovating the ECC and continuing to learn more about his field.
鈥淓very day I鈥檓 learning something new,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see myself stopping any time soon, because there are so many things you need to know about construction.鈥�
Photos by Nataly Brockwell