Amir Bilali is a junior at Cardozo who works hard to keep his grades high like many students at the school. Bilali has his sights set on his future and the electricians better watch out, because Amir is on his way to electrify the room with his technology skills. 

Though Bilali is not in any clubs or on any sports teams at Cardozo, he has his eyes set on the prize of becoming an electrician.

“I like to work on computers and on anything physical like cars and other electronics,” he explained. This passion all started when Bilali was 7 years old, a young boy who was inspired by YouTube videos. “I got my first computer when I was 7, and I used computers a lot as a child and I still do,” he added.

Bilali has worked on headphones, computers, and even laptops. “Well most of the time I just fix them but I have upgraded a lot of my past laptops to become faster and more powerful,” he recalled.

Working with computers means intense precision. Bilali explained, “The challenge of being patient and not forcing something to go in a slot or pin.” One wrong move, and you could damage the whole device. Not only patience with the electronics but also patience with the amount of time that is spent on fixing and building the electronics.

It took Bilali about an hour to build a laptop. “It all depends on the computer itself; some take way longer. My personal computer took over 20 hours.”

Bilali is planning out his future, one step at a time. “I do not have college in mind unless I manage to get into a good university but I do plan on going to trade school if I don’t get into a college that can work out for me,” he shared. One thing is for sure however, he wants to study and become an electrician.

When it comes to advice to the underclassmen, Bilali said, “Hang out with people who have similar, or better interests and you should do whatever you like. Do not fall into peer pressure just because other people think that what you’re interested in is weird.”