Veterans Day Alumni Spotlight: Zacharia Gai

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After traveling to the U.S. from his home country of Sudan, refugee Zacharia Gai felt compelled to give back to the nation that welcomed him. For Gai, that meant making what he considered the ultimate sacrifice: serving in the U.S. Army. 

It was during a walk downtown one day that he noticed two billboards: one promoting Elgin Community College’s GED (General Education Development), and another encouraging people to join the National Guard. Around the same time, he said he kept seeing the “Go Army” commercials on TV. Gai was interested in joining the army, but found out he needed to obtain a GED before he enlisted. 

At ECC, Gai met the now-retired professor Sally Guy, who taught him English and math while he worked toward his GED. After completing the GED program, Gai began working towards an associate degree, began serving in the military, and worked part-time at an electronics company. 

“It’s always a good thing to protect and serve this country,” Gai said. “The United States opened its arms to welcome us here. The only thing I can do is to serve.”

When Guy first met Gai, she said he was still adjusting to life in the U.S. She remembers having him and other Sudan students over for dinner at her house, and he wasn’t sure how to eat the food she had served.

“When we were having sweet corn, he literally took one kernel at a time, perfectly clean, and he got every single kernel,” Guy said. 

Guy and Gai bonded and became close friends. She taught Gai reading, science, social studies, and math through ECC’s GED program. Seventeen years later, they still talk on the phone often.  Guy has since retired after 23 years of teaching. Around 2008, Gai moved to North Carolina permanently after being placed there with the military. 

During his Army career, Gai served as a Green Beret in the Special Forces, deploying to Iraq and other locations around the world. 

Once he was permanently in North Carolina, Gai finished his associate’s degree at Fayetteville Technical Community College. He went on to get his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and later a master’s degree in cybersecurity from Excelsior University in New York. Gai now works as an instructor for Valiant Integrated Services. 

In 2015, Gai traveled back to South Sudan and met his wife. She joined him in North Carolina around 8 months after they got married. Together, they have four sons, and Gai’s mother now lives in North Carolina with them.  

ECC continues to honor and support veterans like Gai through its Veterans Services office, while helping military-connected students. The college provides academic advising, peer support, and more. More information on veteran support at ECC is available here. 

In 2023, Gai started the nonprofit Happy Heart Orphanage to help young children in Northern Uganda, many of whom are refugees from his home country of Sudan. 

“Coming to the United States and learning a different culture was challenging,” Gai said of his time at ECC. “We had a diverse classroom, and we learned from each other.”