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Aiya Almzayen, who came to the U.S. at age 15 as a refugee from Syria, knew she had to go to college.
“As a foreign kid with foreign parents, there are expectations,” Almzayen said. “You were brought into this country, no matter the manner, there is an expectation that you will fulfill that greatness.”
Almzayen, who is half Russian and half Syrian, had already beaten the odds — and most of her peers.
She picked up English and sailed through Woodrow Wilson High School in three years, motivated to graduate early by the bullying of multiple classmates.
“There was a lot of racism,” Almzayen said. “The Trump presidency rolled around and there were a lot of Trump supporters, and in many cases it meant they weren’t fond of me as a Syrian refugee — a foreign Syrian Muslim girl. All of that was a whole different thing.”
As someone new to the U.S., she didn’t know much about the college system, the costs or even what a scholarship was.
Her adviser suggested she meet with two visitors to the school — Dallas attorney and CPA Henry “Hank” Alterman and Randall Reed, also an attorney.
The Scholarship Fund
Alterman had started the Scholarship Fund in 2000, and Reed was on the board of the nonprofit.
The Scholarship Fund contributed to Almzayen’s tuition at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in three years with a double major in biology and criminology. It also helped her mother, Kira Almzayen, who had been a dentist in Syria, earn certification as a dental hygienist.
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“I was like a blind bat, and they were the ones who guided me through my college career,” Aiya Almzayen said. “The Scholarship Fund not only helped me financially but also helped my family, because they were kind enough to also help my mom out when she had to go back to school.”
Almzayen is currently applying to law schools while working at a law firm writing demand documents.
Alterman and Reed have consistently maintained contact with her. When she began to question her path to become a doctor, they helped her decide to attend law school instead.
Another grateful beneficiary is Mulugeta Mola, an Ethiopian immigrant who works six days a week as a barber. He met Alterman years ago while cutting his hair and happened to ask for advice on supporting his children through college.
The chance encounter led to the Scholarship Fund helping with tuition for Mola’s eldest daughter, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin who has applied to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and a daughter who is a sophomore studying nursing at Texas Woman’s University.
“This is a big deal to our family and our income, and I really appreciate it,” Mola said. “My daughters are able to continue their education without a lot of stress.”
‘This is my legacy’
Alterman considers this his life’s work. He established the nonprofit one year after talking with a charismatic young waiter who couldn’t afford to attend college.
“I don’t have any particular skills or talents and have often wondered, what would I do without my education,” Alterman said. “I realized what a bubble I was living in.”
He registered the nonprofit, solicited contributions from friends and clients, and formed a selection committee to evaluate applicants.
The average donation he received was $100, and the group has been aiding three to five students annually with biannual tuition checks ranging from $1,200 to $7,500.
“I was a one-man show,” Alterman said. “I did the legal and accounting, and there was no rent to pay, so 95 cents of every dollar went into scholarships.”
A diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, has forced him to consider the organization’s future.
As a result, the group is throwing its inaugural Unsung Hero Award Gala on Dec. 3 to honor Scott Murray, a former local TV sports anchor who now operates a media company and is well known for his support of nonprofit groups. The aim is to raise money for an endowment and hire an executive director to run the operation.
The host committee includes Barbara and Steve Durham, Margo and Jim Keyes and Sara and David Martineau.
“I feel this is my legacy, and that’s why I want to build this organization, so it will live after me in the future,” Alterman said.