It was at Purdue University where he sought opportunity — and it was through the Lyles School of Civil Engineering that he forged his path.

Originally from Iran, Shahin Ariaey-Nejad (BSCE '82) says he had never heard of Purdue University until he met a few American expatriates who suggested the university after hearing he had an interest in engineering. Though the Midwestern university was certainly far from home, Ariaey-Nejad wanted to secure the best education possible and was quickly convinced that Purdue was where he would attain it.

"I had no idea what their connection to Purdue was, but they were positive on Purdue's engineering program," he recalls. "So, I applied and I was actually accepted. I think I was the first from my school that Purdue had ever accepted."

With the first hurdle out of the way, Ariaey-Nejad says, he faced an even greater challenge: traveling to another part of the world to learn engineering in a foreign language. Thankfully, many of his anxieties about whether he'd made the right decision to come to Purdue were wiped away upon his first day of class.

"I remember walking into one of my first classes at Purdue," he says. "I had just come to America two or three days before. I was still very overwhelmed by everything, and I definitely had not adjusted to the culture change yet. I was still wearing my old country outfits even. Then, I walked into my class and I looked at the blackboard and couldn't believe what I saw."

The words "Welcome to Purdue!" were written in Persian letters. The message was written by Purdue civil engineering Professor John Hayes.

"I looked around and asked, 'Who was this for?' And, I couldn't believe it, it was for me," Ariaey-Nejad says. "Apparently, Professor Hayes had a strong connection and appreciation for foreign students. After that, I felt like this was the school for me."

Ariaey-Nejad soon would make a number of friends on campus. He was involved in multiple student groups, including the Purdue American Society of Civil Engineers and the concrete canoe team.

After earning his bachelor's from Purdue, Ariaey-Nejad went on to earn his master's in civil engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1987. And he decided to stay in the United States to pursue his career in structural engineering.

Today, Ariaey-Nejad works as a structural engineer for CDM Smith Inc. in Poughkeepsie, New York, and has enjoyed a 35-year career in the civil engineering field. His success, he says, is thanks in large part to the education he received at Purdue.

"My experience at Purdue was truly unique in my life," he says. "I can't say I've experienced anything like it since. The faculty here truly make it special, I believe. They want to make sure you're getting an education and understand the material — not simply parroting what was taught. Purdue definitely prepared me for life after college."