HAWAII
Farakh Zaman ’05
Electrical engineer, U.S. Air Force
After graduating from UMKC, Maj. Farakh Zaman (B.S.E.E. ’05) had a great job at an electrical contracting firm. However, he wanted a bigger challenge.
After speaking with one of his mentors, he joined the Air Force.
Following what he calls “13 weeks of hell” at Officer Training School, Zaman was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He remembers his first assignment as a spacecraft engineer as “a dream come true.”
“I don’t know many people who can say they got to design something from the ground up and then sign their name to it and launch it into orbit,” he says. “I got to see and experience something that has a direct impact on our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and helps keep them safe when they are in harm’s way. There were many nights we were called in to save a satellite literally falling from the sky.”
Currently stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Zaman regularly takes in not only the beautiful scenery, but also the harbor’s historical significance.
“I can’t imagine anyone being stationed at Pearl Harbor and not being affected,” Zaman says. “It is an incredible experience. Every day you see the price of what was paid by those before us. For example, there are still bullet holes in the building I work in. You can go across the base and see the sunken ships, the old hangars and planes that were shot up. It’s like stepping back in time.”
Zaman says his Boy Scout leaders are the ones who inspired him on his career path.
“When I was younger, many of my Boy Scout leaders were prior military,” Zaman says. “I grew up loving the military and planes in particular. Those leaders’ stories helped spark an interest in serving my country.”