Student turns trash into treasure

Imagine what you could do if you saved all your reusable pieces of trash. Fouad El-Kerdani decided he would find out. The result? A giant bear head made out of a flower pot, old foam and some popsicle sticks.

Two years ago, El-Kerdani made his first prop. It was modeled after the main character, Freddy Fazbear, from the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise. Tarek El-Kerdani, Fouad’s father, helps him with the props. “Usually I demonstrate new steps and procedures that he is not familiar with, and he follows my example to build new hand skills and systematic thinking,” he said.

The bear head was definitely a challenge for El-Kerdani and his dad. Of course, that made it all the more satisfying when they finally finished it. “It was a great sense of accomplishment. I had a lot of doubts that we could finish this project,” El-Kerdani Sr. said. Building the props together is a great way for the two to bond. “I admire Fouad’s perseverance and willingness to learn new skills,” said El-Kerdani Sr. “Working with him is a unique experience of father and son bonding.”

Spending time with his dad isn’t the only reason El-Kerdani makes his props. “I want to make movies; I love making movies. I just want to take what’s in here,” he said, pointing to his head, “and put it out there.” The experience of making these projects provides preparation for working in the film industry, as well as a creative outlet. He’s mostly interested in writing and directing action movies, which are also the types of movies he loves watching. A few of El-Kerdani’s favorite movies are “Thor Ragnarok”, “Avengers Infinity War”, and “Justice League”, though there’s a long list.

                  Shown above are some of El-Kerdani’s projects. Scroll over them for more information.

The room where the props are built holds a special place in El-Kerdani’s heart. “When I first walked in the room I knew that this was the room I always needed to make those projects,” he said. Lined with closets, cabinets, and of course, a workbench area, this extra room in the basement provides for a great workspace. It’s dubbed “the project room” and it has almost everything you’d need to create props. Some common tools found there are hacksaws, a cutting knife, scissors, and tape.

Of course, the projects wouldn’t be the same without the materials. What makes these props special is the fact that they’re made from what most people would consider trash. “I find pieces of cardboard in my house, I take it. I find foam, I take it. I find bottle caps, even, I take it.” El-Kerdani said. “I’ll just take anything I see, wash it, and get ready to make something with it.”

However, not all projects work out. El-Kerdani spoke about how he once tried to make a wrist mounted computer. He spent a month gathering materials, but couldn’t figure out a way to put them all together. “When I work on a project for so long, but it doesn’t work I would usually give up, or at least put it on hold for a while until I can figure out a way to make the project work,” he said. Right now, the computer is on hold, but he has plans to pick it up again in the future.

El-Kerdani has dealt with hardships and failures before. One example of this is in his math classes, both in eighth grade and freshman year. He struggled a lot in these classes, and by the end of the year, he was sure he wouldn’t pass. However, through hard work and concentration, he made it.

El-Kerdani’s advice to others in similar situations would be, “Don’t save things til the last second. I mean, as much as you would love to, just…don’t.” He also recommends to pay attention to what the teacher is saying-even if it makes no sense at first.

He may have struggled in math, but that’s mostly because El-Kerdani tends to do better when he can use his imagination. In fact, that’s why he loves building these projects in the first place.  “I want to take my imagination and bring it to life because I love to to dream and think,” El-Kerdani said. “The feeling of having those dreams in reality is the single most satisfying and happiest moment of my life.”