Despite financial challenges, a 22-year old Miss Josephine Adah, has bagged a First Class Honours in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Enugu State.
Adah who hails from Cross
River State, said her love for
Mathematics as a child, propelled her to study Engineering, despite being considered a
male-dominated discipline.
She said financial challenges
she faced in school, having lost
her father at a tender age, didn’t
discourage her from targeting
a First Class at the prestigious
university in Enugu.
Miss Adah revealed how her
membership of professional
bodies while at the University,
also aided her academic successes.
“When I got to school, I
joined communities in school
like the Association of Professional Women Engineers in
Nigeria (APWEN), Society of
Petroleum Engineers (SPE),
and the Association of Catholic
Engineering Students (ACES)
These communities were the
foundation of my growth. They
groomed, mentored and taught
first-year students on how to
build character, capacity, and
the resilience to excel in the tertiary institution.
“As I advanced in my year of
study, I joined AIESEC, Student
Personal Development Hub
(SPDH) and the UNN Scholars
Accelerators to build leadership
skills and take up civic engagement responsibilities,” she revealed.
Speaking on her next big
plans, Adah said: “I don’t have a
big plan; I consistently take baby
steps. I plan to get an Entry-level
position. I am interested in the
Energy, Tech (Artificial Intelligence Research), Construction
and Management Consulting
industries.
“I am also working towards
graduate studies in the interception between Civil Engineering
(Infrastructure and Energy)
with Artificial Intelligence. I
am also committed to supporting youth development organizations to advance quality
education, Clean Energy and
Sustainable cities.”
“I faced financial challenges
where I could not afford some of
my learning resources at school.
However, I am grateful to senior
colleagues and classmates that
assisted me with books. I started some petty business and
got awarded with the National
Merit Scholarship from NNPC/
Total that assisted in easing the
financial burden.
She revealed, “I also experienced low access to electricity
where I stayed at home. I am not
usually productive at home compared to when I am at school.
When we were sent home from
school because of industrial
actions by ASUU, my learnings
were usually daunted because
I couldn’t continue learning as
much as I would love to with
little or no access to electricity.
“The news came with a lot of
gratitude rather than surprise.
Gratitude because for me, it was
a breaking forth – being the first
person in the family with a First
Class and studying Engineering. The news was appreciated
to encourage females in STEM
courses to believe that they can
stand out anywhere they find
themselves.
“I could also perceive the
joy and excitement from family,
mentors, and friends that contributed in helping me achieve
the goal while they sent congratulatory messages. The win was
a win for the community. God
be praised.”
