Dearborn Board of Education President Adel Mozip has been a member of the board since 2019. He’s a product of Dearborn’s education system, first enrolling as a student after immigrating from Yemen at the age of 13.
Mozip graduated from Fordson High School in 2004 and went on to earn degrees from both Wayne State University and the University of Michigan Dearborn. His first job after graduation was with Compuware, where he had previously worked as an intern. Today, he is employed by a U.S. Veterans Affairs contractor that supplies the government department with software.
After beginning his career, Mozip, a husband and father of two, realized that he wanted to give back to the community. He was first appointed to the board in 2019 and was elected to a full term in 2020.
Mozip’s goals when he first joined the board were to become more responsive and to improve the quality of education. Two issues that immediately attracted his attention were student test scores and graduation rates.
“When I first started on the board, one of the prime issues was quality education,” Mozip said. “For example, there’s an achievement gap between students who are doing well and students who are struggling. How do we bring that gap together? By providing more support for the struggling students to do better.”
Currently, Mozip is also working to address the problem of aging infrastructure. With some of Dearborn’s school buildings approaching 100 years old, it’s an issue that needs immediate attention.
“We have the issue of infrastructure,” he said. “Many of our schools are very old and those schools have to be rebuilt. That’s the conversation that needs to happen over the next few months. I’m very confident that Dearborn schools and Dearborn residents will come together and find the right solution that will serve our students better.”
Providing role models for students and ensuring that every student has post-graduation goals are also top priorities for Mozip.
“We want to make sure that students see themselves in these institutions,” he said. “That they see teachers who look like them. And that every student will have a plan post high school. And at Henry Ford College, that students would achieve their goals–whether they want an associate’s degree or to transfer to another university.”
In 30-50 years, Mozip wants Dearborn and its schools to continue to be recognized for innovation.
“I want Dearborn schools to still be an innovative place where students would like to go to school,” he said. “Families will want to move to Dearborn because of the schools and the offerings we have. Dearborn is a historical place. It’s where Henry Ford started–it’s the heart of innovation.”
Innovation will be important, especially in the face of competition from other types of schools.
“The competition is fierce,” Mozip said. “You have charter schools. you have private schools, you have online options. So Dearborn schools and Henry Ford College have to be creative as well.”
No matter what new challenges the board faces in the coming year, Mozip’s original objective will keep him focused on the task at hand.
“I’m here to serve everyone who comes to Dearborn schools and Henry Ford College,” he said. “We want to make sure that we have a quality education and that we’re responsive to the community that we serve.”
