Honneur du congo
SOURCE: USA Newspaper "Toledo Blade"
Ngalula "Sandy" Mubenga moves her head forward and presses her fingertips to her temples when asked what she enjoys about studying electrical engineering.
Focused directly on her brain, the University of Toledo senior explains excitedly: "It makes you think and allows you to solve problems."
And at the age of 24, Miss Mubenga has already been recognized for setting goals to one day use her engineering talents to help improve lives - namely, she's hoping to return to her native country of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. It's a country where many people still lack electricity and face life-threatening problems as a result.
"Just knowing what impact electricity has on people, it's very motivating," she said.
Miss Mubenga, who was one of 16 recipients across the nation last month of a scholarship offered by the National Society of Black Engineers, knows first-hand the real power electricity has on human lives.
As a teenager, she was rushed to a hospital in the town of Kikwit, where doctors discovered she had appendicitis. But the hospital was without electricity, and didn't have fuel at the time to run a generator.
As a result, the then-17-year-old had to wait three days for surgery.
"Some people actually die because there's not electricity. I was lucky," she recalled recently. "The system has to change."
Already in her career, Miss Mubenga has researched stand-alone energy solutions that could serve isolated regions in Africa. In addition, she has served as an apprentice systems designer for Advanced Distributed Generation, a photovoltaic system integrator.
She continues to work with alternative-energy researchers at UT. Miss Mubenga was the university's international student of the month in November and is a member of several organizations and honor societies.
Christine Smallman, director of college relations and facilities management for UT's college of engineering, said Miss Mubenga is an accomplished student - she carries a 3.5 GPA - who's also attracted several scholarships, including one from the Toledo Technical Society.
During the National Society of Black Engineers convention in Boston just over a week ago, Miss Mubenga was awarded the General Electric Lloyd Trotter African-American Forum scholarship for $2,500, and received travel expenses to attend the convention.
She was the only recipient of the award from Ohio, and was a part of an event that recognized technology professionals in government, business, and academia.
"She's a phenomenal student. She's not only focused as far as her engineering career, she's one of the unusual people who has a real grasp for looking at life in general as global," Ms. Smallman said. "There's a passion in her. She wants to make a difference in the world."
Ms. Mubenga, who's scheduled to graduate in December, said she's most interested in studying and working with solar and hydro forms of power as they relate to providing more electricity in Africa.
"Back home, we have the sun 365 days a year. It's so simple," she said. "You put something up outside, and you get electricity."
She also pointed to the Congo River, which she believes has the ability to power the greater majority of Africa. The student said she favors seeing community-based electrical systems put into place.
While she plans to one day return to Africa, Miss Mubenga believes she must first gain practical work experience and likely some further education - possibly a master's of business administration - before she can apply what she's learned in another continent.
Ms. Smallman, though, was honest in expressing her wishes about Miss Mubenga's future.
"Being an employee of UT, I would like to be a little bit selfish," she said. "I would like to see her get a graduate degree and stay to teach and influence students here."
Contact Kim Bates at: kimbates@theblade.com or 419-724-6074.
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