From Air Force mechanic to real estate entrepreneur: SC State graduating senior’s success-driven journey

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – His name sounds like money, and he has a clear idea of how to make it.

Kashif “Kash” Alston will graduate from South Carolina State University on Friday, May 9, with a degree in mechanical engineering technology.

He’ll set out with a packed resume, a work ethic forged by his family and the U.S. Air Force, and a dream big enough to fuel a career in real estate development, civil engineering, and entrepreneurship.

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, and later transplanted to Northeastern Pennsylvania, Alston’s early life was framed by structure, opportunity, and heritage. His great-grandfather, Ernest Henry Tomlinson, was a tail gunner with the revered Tuskegee Airmen — an inspiring legacy that would one day help shape Alston’s own path.

After graduating from high school, Alston enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he served from 2016 to 2020 as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic.

“It gave me a knack for working on machinery,” he said. “I became a car guy. I bought my first Dodge Ram diesel truck and wound up building it custom from the ground up, which sparked my aspiration to become a diesel truck engineer.”

That experience sparked a passion for engineering and laid the foundation for his academic and professional goals.

Phase 2: College and internships

When his military service concluded, he returned to civilian life with a clear goal: engineering. His journey began at Bluefield State College (now University) where he pursued a degree in mechanical engineering technology. At Bluefield State, he served as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Yard Ambassador and Influencer. He was elected as a Gamma Beta Phi National Committee member.

His aspiration at the time was to become a diesel truck engineer at Volvo Trucks of North America, which was right up the road in Dublin, Virginia. He interned at Volvo twice, an experience that included developing the plant's first plumbing schematic and helping to redesign parts of the assembly line.

But success came easily — too easily. His Air Force experience, work ethic and relentless thirst for challenges signaled to Alston that he was capable of more.

Circumstances at Bluefield State, coupled with a desire to be his own boss, prompted him to set his sights on a new horizon: entrepreneurship in real estate and a new school to foster his potential.

Immersing in Bulldog tenacity

“I specifically wanted to transfer to another Thurgood Marshall member school,” Alston said, noting that he applied to several Southern HBCUs but heard back from SC State first. “I felt like that was a sign, and from then on, I became a Bulldog. Don't regret that decision one bit.”

He arrived as SC State for the Spring 2023 Semester and set about making a name for himself on campus. He credits SC State’s late dean of students, Mary White, who died in 2024, with helping him make the transition and garner additional scholarship money.

Alston fully embraced the school’s unofficial slogan, “Bulldog tenacity.”

“Needless to say, it's quite contagious, and the campus experience is a big platform, but it’s still like a small-town, homegrown kind of experience,” he said. “When I talk to people from schools that are smaller like Benedict and Allen, they look at our school like it's the biggest in the world. I always tell them, you know, it's one of the smaller Division I HBCUs, but you would never know it by the level of tenacity and energy that we have here.”

The following summer, his ambition led him to a third internship, this time with Kiewit Construction, where he worked on Department of Transportation projects and learned the nuances of bridge demolition, bid evaluations, and traffic design.

A natural networker, Alston leveraged his charisma and experience into a strong presence both on and off campus. He served as the president of the campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, revitalizing it after it had gone dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also represented SC State as an American Red Cross HBCU Ambassador. He joined such professional organizations as the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Council of Engineering Companies, whose members are instrumental in shaping building codes and engineering licensure.

“So, the networking is really important for your career in those associations,” he said.

What's next for Kashif Alston?

After graduation, Alston will enter a master’s degree program in civil engineering at North Carolina A&T, and he plans to work in his chosen field at the same time.

“This might sound a little bit funny, but a lot of times I refer to myself as a professional college student,” he said. “A big thing with me is being that the military has paid my tuition. I had the epiphany that every penny I get in scholarship money goes in my pocket. I apply for scholarships like it's my full-time job, and I've lost count of how much I've been able to pocket in scholarship money.

“But as far as my career path is concerned, I'm now finally learning that I need to slow things down a bit. I'm currently on the hunt for a position as a home builder where I can be boots on the ground and learn,” he said.

His dream is to eventually oversee his own construction projects from blueprint to brick.

So, what drives him?

“Honestly? It's the lifestyle I was raised around,” he said. “Growing up, my parents gave me the example of what success looked like. That’s what I aim for because I’ve seen what’s possible.”

Still, he’s clear-eyed about the grind. Alston has already dipped into the world of real estate investment. The road hasn’t been easy.

“Honestly, it’s kicking my tail,” he said. “There are way more downs than ups, but that’s where the learning happens. If everything was all sunshine and rainbows, I, of course, wouldn't learn anything.”

Alston’s story is one of resilience, vision, and Bulldog tenacity — the kind of story that doesn’t just graduate from college, but graduates into purpose.

SC State’s Spring Commencement is set for Friday, May 9, beginning at 10 a.m. at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. Alston is among more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students expected to receive degrees.