Janet Salmons, Faculty, School of Business and Technology: I feel honored when I see someone take what they've learned in the courses and put it into use in their own lives.
Wesam Mahmoud, MBA, Class of 2006: Her class was about leadership and how to lead. And it was my first time to actually have a class in leadership other than what I had in the Marine Corps. I was a translator. Very much, all I did.
Wesam Mahmoud enlisted in the Marines after 9/11. A native Arabic speaker, he was a front-line translator in Iraq.
Captain Art Decotiss, Wesam's Commander in Iraq: Very good at what he did, very intelligent, on top of that he had a real strong work ethic that made him excel above those around him. In Mahmoud's case, he was definitely a team player.
One day on patrol, his Humvee hit a mine.
Staff Sergeant Simon Phillips, Wesam's Sergeant in Iraq: I guess one of the tires went off the road and hit the IED. Lifted the Humvee up, spun it about 180 degrees.
Wesam (showing scars): You see the scar right here … When I started the MBA program I was going in for my first surgery.
Jenny Mahmoud (Wesam's wife): When Wesam was going through rehab for 30 days, he couldn't walk, he couldn't take a shower, he couldn't get up to make any food to do anything.
Wesam: But I was still able to get my laptop and put it on my leg and do all my schoolwork.
Wesam (with Janet): She taught me the first class I had with at Capella, when I was sick.
Janet: I think it takes enormous focus to be able to do any kind of job and also pursue a higher education degree. So, in a situation like this, certainly the kind of focus he showed is remarkable.
Wesam: I loved it so much. Leadership is one of the subjects that I adore so much right now.
Janet: And over and over again, he said this is a matter of life and death. A successful leader will bring his troops home alive.
Wesam: This is what the marine corps is all about. You're a leader. You have 4 or 5 marines, 10 marines. And you have to teach them how to be a part of one team to be successful … and come back to your base and then come back home alive.
Janet: He was able to take from our readings and our discussions ideas that he could use … for these kinds of situations where leadership and teamwork is really put to the test.
Janet is working with Wesam to publish some of his papers.
Wesam: I want to publish some of my papers. And she directed me through the whole process, she reviewed the paper twice. One for the course purposes, and one for the publications purposes, which was awesome.
Honorably discharged, Wesam is now a translator for a federal agency.
Wesam: They require at least a BA. And you have to have a secret clearance for that. Now if you want to go higher than a secret clearance you have to have either a master's degree or a PhD.
Jenny: I know a friend of his trying to get into the same field and they wouldn't even consider him because he doesn't have the degree.
Wesam: How to be a good leader and have everybody on your team follow you. In the Marine Corps, this is very important. Same thing I think is with the Capella team. They all have one goal, one mission to accomplish, which is help that learner get an answer, finish his degree, and be successful in his career.