Work Hard And Don’t Get Distracted
Fabien Chukwuemeka Overcomes Barriers, Graduates Pre-Engineering Program with Honors
Fabien Chukwuemeka moved to the United States from Nigeria after graduating from high school to live with his uncle in Baton Rouge with a desire to continue his studies.
During his search for a college to enroll in during the height of the pandemic in fall of 2020, Chukwuemeka's uncle asked him to consider Baton Rouge Community College. He looked into several institutions and ultimately decided that BRCC was best for him, and he selected the Pre-Engineering program due to him having a strong background in math.
Chukwuemeka experienced some challenges that he had to overcome, including learning how to write essays using the English style in America compared to Nigeria.
However, Chukwuemeka said he is very thankful for his English professors who gave him the tools to succeed and that he’s grateful for the opportunities BRCC helped him achieve. He stated that BRCC gave him the confidence to adapt to this community and he was amazed at how quickly two years passed.
“It was a difficult process for me, especially learning the English language and the differences between here and Nigeria,” said Chukwuemeka. “I understand it (English) better now, and some lifestyles here were easy to adjust to such as watching American football and basketball.”
While at BRCC, Chukwuemeka excelled. He is on the Dean’s List and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the National Society of Leadership Success, and the Science Research Honors Program. He plans to continue his education and transfer to Louisiana State University and study Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Aerospace.
“BRCC is a great educational institution that helped me a lot in terms of my transition here in the United States’ college system of education,” said Chukwuemeka. “BRCC has a nice environment for studies and is a good community with great professors and students. BRCC offers a great program for transfer engineering students, and I will be transferring to LSU to complete my Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering.”
Chukwuemeka said he would like to thank his family, friends, and professors who believed in him.
“Work hard and don't get distracted," he said. "It has never been an easy moment for me, but I was able to scale through.”