STCC professor reflects on journey from dishwasher to department chair

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Zahi ‘Zee’ Haddad was hungry.

The young immigrant from Jordan spoke little English and rehearsed what he needed to say on that day in 1978.

“Whopper, fries and a Coke,” he repeated to himself over and over after hearing a classmate describe the meal she brought in to his English as a Second Language class. He never smelled anything like that back at home.

He walked up to the counter of a Burger King near the campus of Springfield Technical Community College, knowing the delicious meal would soon be his.

 “Whopper, fries and a Coke,” Haddad said to the server.

“For here or to go?" she replied.

He raised his voice. “Whopper, fries and a Coke!”

Again, she replied, “For here or to go?’”

Haddad turned and walked out of the restaurant without any food.

Two days later, after a classmate explained what the server’s question meant, Haddad returned to Burger King and successfully ordered his meal to go.

It might seem like a small moment, but to Haddad ‘80, it represented something much bigger.

“If you ask me even today to rank the top 10 or 15 accomplishments of my life, ‘Whopper, fries and a Coke’ will be one of them,” he said. “Because that was the first time since I’d been in the U.S. that I felt like I could make it.”

Today – nearly five decades after that pivotal moment – Haddad serves as a professor at STCC and chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences. On May 28, Haddad presented the keynote address at the 59^th Springfield Technical Community College Commencement at the MassMutual Center.

He also received the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award for over four decades of teaching and college service at STCC.

For Haddad, the honor represents a full-circle moment at the college that changed his life.

“This is home,” he said. “These people here are my family.”

Dr. John B. Cook, STCC’s president, shared: “Professor Haddad arrived in the United States with the goal of becoming an engineer, and his journey is not only remarkable, it personifies the STCC mission of transformation. Indefatigable over his more than 40 years as a beloved faculty member, Zee brings a unique capacity for people and purpose, and his evolution from STCC student to esteemed college professional is a stunning example of human persistence.”

Born and raised in Jordan by his single mother, Haddad dreamed of becoming an engineer after listening to radio coverage of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the U.S. space program.

“I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to be an engineer,” Haddad said.

I built a beautiful life for myself. If you work hard, if you take pride in what you do, you can achieve really almost any goal you set your mind to. Zahi 'Zee' Haddad, Professor of Engineering at STCC

Despite earning grades high enough to receive a scholarship to medical school in Jordan, Haddad had other plans. “I said, ‘I don’t want to be a doctor. I want to be an engineer,’” he recalled.

At 18 years old, Haddad boarded a one-way flight to the United States on Nov. 28, 1977. His mother borrowed money from family friends to buy the ticket.

“When I came here, I had about $100 with me,” he said. “That was it.”

The transition was far more difficult than he imagined.

“It was cold when I got here,” Haddad said. “Almost December. Freezing cold.”

He rented a tiny attic apartment on Redlands Street in East Springfield, where he lived for four or five years. “It had one light bulb and two windows,” he said. “It was freezing cold in December, January and February, and extremely hot in the summer.”

To survive, Haddad worked as a dishwasher and busboy while struggling to learn English.

“My English was worse than horrible,” he said. “Any job I wanted to do had to be somewhere in the back room.”

One interaction with a restaurant customer changed the trajectory of his life.

“The guy walked up to me and said, ‘Learn English,’” Haddad recalled. “I said, ‘You know what? I can’t really get mad at him. I should be mad at myself. I need to learn English if I want to make it here.’”

In January 1978, Haddad, while working a series of part-time jobs, enrolled in ESL classes at STCC before entering the College’s Engineering Transfer program. Earning his Associate degree from STCC, he went on to complete his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from what is now Western New England University, as well as a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Despite his credentials, Haddad was unable to get hired because he lacked permanent work authorization in the United States.

“I was losing hope,” he said. “I was ready to go back home.”

Everything changed when he stopped at STCC before leaving the country. He wanted to thank former Engineering Department Chair William R. White.

“He said, ‘How would you like to come and teach for us here?’” Haddad recalled.

At the time, Haddad never imagined becoming a teacher. His dream had been to work for NASA.

But STCC sponsored him, allowing him to obtain permanent residency and begin a career that would span more than four decades.

“I was just thrilled to have any job,” Haddad said. “Probably one of the best things that happened to me is this job.”

Teaching courses that include Calculus, Digital Logic, Java, Physics and Circuit Analysis, Haddad remains deeply passionate about STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and helping students, especially those who face obstacles similar to the ones he encountered.

Some of his proudest moments involve his own family.

Haddad and his wife will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in July. Their daughter graduated from Yale University and works as a corporate lawyer. Their son graduated from MIT and is the president of a private equity firm.

“When my son got accepted at MIT, he called home and said, ‘Dad, we made it to MIT,’” Haddad recalled. “He knew that was my dream.”

Haddad said he had a simple message to STCC graduates.

“I want them to know that the American dream is alive and well,” he said.

His urged students not to wait for the perfect moment. “Don’t wait for someone to hand you success. You need to go get it,” he said.

Looking back, Haddad describes his younger self as “naive” for arriving in America without a real plan. But he says he would not change a thing.

“I built a beautiful life for myself,” he said. “If you work hard, if you take pride in what you do, you can achieve really almost any goal you set your mind to. The sky is the limit.”

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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