Meet Kadir, who is now the role model he missed

For Kadir Arisoy, project manager at Knightec, the opportunity to support and coach students meant that he together with colleagues, started a collaboration with Hjulstaskolan a few years ago. Kadir was himself a student at this exact school and recalls lacking the kind of support he now provides:

– I had a tough upbringing, where everything was a struggle for me. When I got the chance to start a collaboration with my old school, Hjulstaskolan, and give today's young people a role model and coaching for a bright future, I did not hesitate for a second.

The first time I visited Hjulstaskolan to meet students and teachers, I saw myself sitting in one of the student’s chairs. I relived parts of my time in school. I was so vulnerable and had no one to support me for my future. I had terrible friends and did everything a youth should not do. I am so incredibly grateful that I as a person did not feel comfortable with these actions.

After high school, I took hold of myself and focused on a better future, even then with many setbacks and a lot of will. I am convinced that if I had met someone from Knightec when I was in ninth grade, I would have understood what opportunities there were and where I fit in. Many schoolchildren lack role models and references. They are lost and see limited options. I missed it entirely at that time. I know that we at Knightec make a difference, and I want us to reach more students, both in Sweden and other countries.

What has made the strongest impression on you?

– That there are students who are hungry to succeed in life but have no support. I see myself in these students, and I want them to succeed in reaching their goals. It gives so much energy to meet the students. I can not leave them to their fate after giving a lecture. I offer myself to be there when they need support, as a coach, someone to talk to or consult, whatever the subject. When I see a sparkle in their eyes, when they have picked up something we have conveyed, that feeling is unbeatable. For me, it is a way to give back to society, which has taught me to be who I am today by experiencing a lot that is the foundation of who I have become.

What impression do you want to give the students?

– I teach them to lead projects. Their first serious project is to plan their future. I always say that it is helpful for the soul to dream. A person who does not dare to dream does not dare to fight for the future. You need the courage to invest and do it step by step and set intermediate goals, just as projects in billion-dollar industries are lead. Students' futures have much greater value than any investment in the world. If they do not exist, then the future does not exist…