Whiz Kid: Through Long Winter, Alwazir Helped Neighbors Dig Out

Name: Mutahar Alwazir

Age: 12

School:

Accomplishment: The winter months posed a significant challenge to many of Dearborn’s most vulnerable residents, but that didn’t deter 12-year-old Mutahar Alwazir from finding a way to help out.

Mutahar, a seventh grader at McCullogh-Unis, has built a side business that rivals those who make a career out of removing snow by helping his neighbors remove the white stuff.

It all started earlier this year when Mutahar noticed that one of his neighbors was clearly exhausted shoveling snow.

“I saw him struggling, so I asked him, 'Can I help?' And he said yes,” said Mutahar. “So I cleaned up his driveway and we became good neighbors."

Since then, Mutahar has continued to help residents who are snowed in near where he lives with his family. He accepts a little bit of money; but mostly, he just likes helping his neighbors. The amount of work he does depends on the number of people who need help, he said.

Key to awesomeness: Kathi Martin, a speech therapist who works with Mutahar, said the student shows a maturity that is beyond his years.

“He’s very responsible for his age,” she said. “He’s always level-headed in how he deals with others; he works very hard.”

When he’s not in school or shoveling snow, Mutahar takes part in sports, including football and soccer. He was the manager of the McCullogh-Unis basketball team, but he’s soon joining the team as a player.

In school, Mutahar likes reading and social studies, though his favorite subject is math. “I like figuring out the problems,” he said. “If it’s wrong, I like that you have to do it over again.”

When he grows up, Mutahar would like to be an engineer or a doctor. He is the son of Adnan Alwazir and Bushra Almansour of Dearborn.

Do you know a Dearborn student who works as hard at helping others meet their goals as he does his own? Do you know a student that is generous with his or her time and spirit? Is that student’s philosophy of life one we can all learn from? If so, we’d like to hear from you.  Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

E-mail your Whiz Kid nominations to Editor Jessica Carreras at Jessica.carreras@patch.com. Please include the name, age, school, achievement and key to awesomeness, as well as a photo. Then come back every Wednesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight. Your little helper may be smiling at you from your computer screen.