Lone Star College-North Harris welcomes 1st official student

Fabrice Bazilme, 28, was up early to enroll in classes at Lone Star College– North Harris. An air traffic controller at the Houston Air Traffic Control Center, he knew it was critical to be able to sign up for the classes that best fit into his work schedule.
“I was there at 5 a.m.,” said Bazilme, formerly an air traffic controller in the U.S. Air Force. “Before, when I was attending City College in New York and because I signed up a day or two after registration began, I could never get the classes I needed at the times I wanted. Because of my work schedule, I wanted to make certain I was there early enough to get the classes I needed at the times that would work for me.”
Little did he know that his extra effort to be the first in the registration line would make him the first student to officially enroll at Lone Star College–North Harris…and the new student said while he was honored by the designation, his eyes are on completing his bachelor’s degree in business management.
Bazilme, who is Haitian American, came to the United States with his parents in 1982 when he was two years of age. “My family moved to the U.S. for the reasons many come to this country,” he explained. “They wanted to come here for a chance at the American dream – for themselves and for their seven children.”
A good student in high school, Bazilme said when he enrolled at City College in New York he simply wasn’t ready for the college experience but he never lost sight of his goal to earn his college degree.

At age 20, he went into the U.S. Air Force, where he admits he did a lot of growing up. “I needed some discipline in my life at that time, so the Air Force provided me with an opportunity to learn my job as an air traffic controller, showed me the benefits of hard work and gave me a chance to make some lifelong friendships,” he said.
He also found some role models that added momentum to his own motivation. “Whether I’m playing sports or doing my job as an air traffic controller, I always want to improve my skills and abilities,” Bazilme explained. “When I was in the Air Force, I had a master sergeant – Robert Breashears – and he motivated me. I wanted to be as good as he was and have the skills to advance as he did.”
In 2006, Bazilme left the Air Force after six years of service to move forward toward his degree, but not before serving as a contract air traffic controller in Afghanistan for a Midwest-based company.
After establishing his new home in Spring, he was ready to go back to work on his degree. “It’s always been my goal to get my degree,” the new student explained. “Even though I went into the Air Force, I still had that goal of completing my college degree. I had started it many years ago. Now I need to finish it.”
After completing his core educational courses at North Harris–where he is currently enrolled in English, government, economics, and speech for the spring semester– he’d like to complete his bachelor’s and then go into business for himself. “In a perfect world, I’d like to start my own business, maybe in accounting, real estate or opening a couple of small businesses,” Bazilme said. “Eventually, I’d like to be making more working for myself than working for someone else.”
He selected North Harris as the place for a new beginning toward his lifelong goal because it’s not too far from his job and an easy commute from his home. “I’d say location and convenience were two of the primary reasons I chose North Harris,” he said, “and because of my work schedule, that convenience and proximity to my job were both very important to my decision.”
Bazilme is very clear on his desire to move ahead. “I’ve always been self-motivated,” he explained. “I always want to get better. I never want to stagnate. If I’m good today, I want to be better tomorrow. You learn, in air traffic, to avoid mistakes. In air traffic, the earlier you identify a problem, the earlier you can solve it. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
While he was overseas, the student said he learned that, at times, you have to deal with certain situations for the greater good.
“I’m single, but when I marry and bring children into the world, I want to prepare…so that the child will come into a good place. Growing up in Haiti, my childhood experiences were dismal and opportunities non-existent, but there was love in my family and my parents did the best they could. I want my life and the lives of my children to be a little better,” said Bazilme.