Climate Action Community Colleges and Climate Futures Webinar Series

Arhum Aamir is a first-generation Pakistani-American engineer from Queens, New York, finishing his bachelor degree in mechanical engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY). He is a proud alumnus of LaGuardia Community College, and currently serves as Chief Engineer of CCNY’s American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design/Build/Fly team, where he led 40 members through the full concept-to-flight life cycle of a competition aircraft.

Arhum’s passion for environmental action took root at LaGuardia, where he became a leader of the President’s Society Environment program. He and fellow student ambassadors pitched the LaGuardia Community Greenway to the NYC Department of Transportation, envisioning the transformation of 29th Street in Long Island City into permanent green space. The pilot event drew over 1,000 people in 2022, and the Greenway has since become a lasting community fixture.

LaGuardia Community College gave Arhum the foundation to thrive. He joined the Honors Program, won awards in college research competitions, and participated in a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates in remote sensing with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This summer, Arhum will join GE Aerospace’s Edison Engineering Development Program as a full-time mechanical/aerospace engineer, one of 20 selected to complete three rotational assignments on jet engines while pursuing a fully sponsored masters degree at institutions like Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or Boston University. Arhum hopes to one day lead efforts in the preliminary design of future sustainable aircraft engines.