Driving It Home
As the head of household and father of four, Tsehay Mosisa was looking for a career that would allow him to provide for his family. With a goal in mind and the work ethic to pursue it, all that was missing was access and opportunity. Mosisa wanted to be a professional truck driver. He knew he could make a good living and he liked being on the open road. What held him back was access to a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).
To get a CDL was my vision, but it can cost $3,000 to $10,000. —Tsehay Mosisa, MCMF scholarship recipient and commercial truck driver
Without a CDL, Mosisa worked as a driver but earned far less. Then things got worse. As a result of the COVID pandemic in 2020, he was laid off. Fortunately, Mosisa found a way forward through a big-hearted community group offering the support he and his family only dreamed of during this rough time.
Enter MCMF.
In response to events across the country that heightened racial tensions, a group of men in our community struggled when considering how to make anything good come from a pain felt so deeply. Members of the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF) were determined to lift others up through scholarships that directly, and in a short time, lead to jobs that pay a true living wage. Since 2008, the organization has been committed to getting community members—regardless of race, color, or religion—into careers that provide a sustainable wage.
“We wanted the scholarship to support students enrolled in programs leading to an industry recognized credential that is intended to lead to immediately beneficial employment in the technology/trades or health sciences,” says Dr. T. O. Shanavas, MCMF chairman.
The scholarship helped fulfill my vision and created an opportunity for me to get a job to support my family.
Mosisa was the MCMF’s first scholarship recipient. And it changed his life.
“To get a CDL was my vision, but it can cost $3,000 to $10,000,” Mosisa says. “The scholarship helped fulfill my vision and created an opportunity for me to get a job to support my family.”
Organizations or individuals interested in supporting students in workforce training programs are invited to contact montgomerycollege.edu/onlinegiving and select “Workforce Development and Continuing Education” from the Scholarships drop-down menu.