OC instructor named ‘2024 LEEPS Instructor of the year’

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Odessa College Chair of Industrial Technology Department, Syed Muhammed Naqvi, recently received the “LEEPS Instructor of the Year Award” from Lincoln Electric. The Lincoln Electric Education Partner Schools program was formed in partnership with the National Coalition of Certification Centers to provides schools with instructional materials and resources, helping the next generation of welders.

Naqvi came to the United States from Pakistan in 2008 so he could be with his wife and family, working in the family business in the Midland Parks Mall until he decided that he wanted to do more.

In 2010, Naqvi met a stranger in a grocery store, who was a welding instructor at a community college in New Mexico, encouraged Naqvi to take welding classes. Naqvi decided to investigate the program, knowing nothing about welding at the time. He and his wife decided to visit Odessa College and was impressed. After a tour of the welding facility, he enrolled and started his academic career at OC.

“I knew nothing about welding or the equipment! When I first started my classes, Mosman said, ‘Hey, you can do this,’ and that’s what I needed to hear, because I was doubting myself,” Naqvi said. “I applied myself, and when others might take a break in class, I would keep practicing or studying. I worked hard to improve my skills, and after one year, I earned my Level 1 Certificate in Welding, and I got a job with Bellows Systems, Inc. where I could apply what I had learned in my classes, continue to improve my skills, and learn additional skills. I continued going to OC so that I could complete my associate degree. That would enable me to work in higher levels of the industry such as being a Certified Welding Inspector or being a welding instructor. I worked full time while I continued my classes at OC, and I earned my associate degree in the spring of 2014. It took me four years to complete my degree, but it was worth it.”

Naqvi grew since first entering the program as a student in 2010, becoming an adjunct professor in the fall of 2014. In 2015, he became a full-time instructor, before assuming the role as the new Chair of Industrial Technology Department in the fall of 2019.

“When I left OC, I asked myself, ‘Who is the best person to take the LEEPS program to the next level?’” said Jim Mosman, the former Chair of the department. At the time, the program was running 200 to 250 students per semester. Today, OC said the department is teaching nearly 900 students per semester, under Naqvi’s leadership.

“This award is not just about me. It is all about the entire Odessa College community. They provided me with a lot of opportunities. My job was to make sure that I was available to take the opportunities and make the best of them. I am successful because of OC. My life is changed. I’m now affecting other people’s lives because I stayed with my education,” added Naqvi.

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