Legacy is creating a natural environment for growth, learning, and success for future generations. To me, legacy is people’s impact on human beings and the environment. Many young generations are tossed away with lots of distractions during their academic journey. Hence, the need to set good examples for students through our lives and actions. Ever since I was young, my parents instilled the idea within me that academic success is very important. Over the years, I learned that academic success is a lot more than merely getting good grades. It is also about the role it plays in advancing my future. Considering this, I decided that everywhere I go, I want to be part of the culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. Overcoming hurdles in academic life is something that everyone, whether in middle school, high school, or college, will have to do, and thus creating a legacy of academic success and career advancement is a great feat that the younger generations need to be aware of and keep to heart. There is no better way to continue to fulfill a legacy than to live an exemplary life. Legacy is created only when leaders put their people into a position to do great things without them. First and foremost, I will continue to live an exemplary life of peace, integrity, and diligence to demonstrate practical examples that black engineers can excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community we serve. By doing so, anybody from my race or color that comes into my school or organization will be highly spoken of because of the examples I left behind. Passively, people are watching us by our actions, and this indirectly creates a sustainable pattern of behavior black engineers can emulate and excel in all their endeavors. I strongly believe all races should be given equal opportunities and treat one another with love and respect. There are no limitations to what people from different races or backgrounds, the underrepresented population can achieve. Furthermore, I intend to continue to serve and volunteer in various organizations to help create a diverse voice for black engineers. One of them, of which I am currently serving is as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity at Tagliatela College of Engineering, the University of New Haven to foster an open and welcoming environment for students, staff, and faculty, where black engineers can collaboratively learn and work comfortably while celebrating their identity. Another one is as a campus connector for black international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. In conclusion, to continue to fulfill an outstanding legacy that will last beyond us is one of my goals in life. This Legacy will continue to make black engineers relevant in the United State of America in the long term and in the world at large and gives us values that we can live by.

Growing up during the great recession in 2009, my dad was relieved of his duties at work due to the economic hardship in Nigeria. However, we didn’t know there would be a pandemic that would cause another hitch to the family’s financial growth. Fast-forward, ten years later Covid 19 came. With the impact of Covid 19, little did I know that it will affect the possibility of funding my studies for a graduate degree. My dad’s salary was reduced by 45%. Two months later, knowing he was close to being laid off, I certainly knew my dream of furthering my studies abroad will be shattered. I sat down and was in deep thought. The story 11 years ago wants to repeat itself. My dream to have my master’s degree in the US was looking almost impossible. Luckily, I received good news with a scholarship offer from my current university. It wasn’t a full scholarship, but with this, I knew the world was not against me. My parents sold some of the things they had and took the loan they could just for me to get to the US before my program starts. Currently, I am in my second year of graduate studies at the University of New Haven. Having been taught to persevere through resilience by making a conscious choice to reframe failures, redirect negative thoughts, and regulate tough emotions, facing so many obstacles along the way during my academic journey at the University of New Haven (UNH) was still a learning curve for me. Overcoming hurdles in academic life is something that everyone will have to do. I thought I would not be able to cope, but I kept on trying and decided to set goals. The goals took quite a bit of work because of my difficulty in understanding concepts. There were times in class I was given class work and assignments and I couldn’t solve them. I approached it with perseverance and saw them as a learning experience. This prompted me not to give up. While doing all these things, made me adapt easily to my new environment by thinking outside the box in pursuit of my goals. These three processes; setting goals, carrying through failures, and adaptability encouraged me to believe in myself, that I can still cope and finish with a good grade. Currently, I am on a CGPA of 3.97, finishing two semesters with 4.0. I believe that all successful people are perseverant. To become successful, it is how we have persevered and learned to deal with failure that keeps us going. Furthermore, on November 11, 2021, I was recognized as one of the top 7 students in the state of Connecticut in the Civil Engineering field and was awarded a scholarship of $1000. Professionals from top companies and the CMAA body were full of applause when my name was called. Who would have taught, that a young black man from Africa, who had spent less than a year in the US would be given such an award? This meant a lot more to me than the financial reward and I am so proud to have achieved this feat. There are a lot of health issues associated with the production and construction process of infrastructures, which affect a good population of the workforce in this industry. In a bid to get the best out of my master’s degree in solving the health-related problem in the construction industry due to sustainability issues, I started working on a thesis that is geared toward reducing cost and increasing the sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. With the ever rising need of infrastructure sustainability, my post-graduation plan is to work for a multinational firm and apply the above principles in sustainable infrastructure design projects. Finally, I intend to impact the world by mentoring the younger professionals to continue an improved circle for more technical innovations on sustainable infrastructure design and construction materials as this will combat future problems in the construction industry and empower future generations.

Amelia Boynton Robinson was born as Amelia Platts on August 18, 1911, to George and Anna Eliza Platts in Savannah, Georgia. While working as a demonstration agent in Dallas County with the US Department of Agriculture during the Great Depression, she met agriculture extension agent Samuel William Boynton, who would later become her husband, and were married in 1936. At the very young age of ten, Amelia accompanied her mother in campaigning for women’s right to vote. In 1933, she co-founded the Dallas County Voters League. From the 1930s to the 1950s, she held voter registration drives in Selma. Amelia’s home became a venue where activists gathered and strategies for voting rights campaigns were planned. From 1964 to 1965, she planned demonstrations for civil and voting rights campaigns alongside Martin Luther King and other key African-American figures. Amelia played a key role and among many of her achievements, she was able to get registered to vote despite difficulties for African-Americans in Alabama in 1934. In August of 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the act into law in a ceremony where Amelia was invited as a guest of honor. 11,000 African-Americans were registered to vote after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, this was massive because before that only 300 African-American people were registered to vote in Selma, Alabama. These were because of the various marches and activism from Amelia. Amelia Boynton Robinson once said, “It’s important that young people know about the struggles we faced to get to the point we are today. Only then will they appreciate the hard-won freedom of blacks in this country.” I am passionate to see black people excel academically and succeed professionally. Blacks are a minority group in the engineering world and to make our presence felt, I partnered with the president of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter (at the University of New Haven) and chapter Advisor, Prof. Kagaya Amoako to introduce new students to the variety of programs, academic support, scholarships, jobs and internships offered by NSBE. This has encouraged some students to be more focused and goal-oriented towards achieving their engineering degrees. I volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of the students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students to get affordable apartments. Furthermore, because of my passion to help create a diverse voice for black students, I volunteered to serve as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI-B) to foster an open and welcoming environment for students, staff and faculty of Tagliatela College of Engineering; where black students can collaboratively learn and work comfortably while celebrating their race. I strongly believe the three action steps I am taking will be a great tool for all Black students to succeed in the pursuit of their educational goals. This is important because it will reduce the low percentage of Black students who complete their degrees in six years and increase the percentage of black participation in the professional industry. In conclusion, to continue to fulfill the outstanding legacy Amelia Boynton Robinson started and to build that which will last beyond us is a selfless and very proud moment for me. This Legacy will continue to make black students relevant in the long term and gives us values that we can live by.

Looking back at my teenage years, I struggled a lot mentally, but somehow, I survived. My survival was not based on my mental strength or luck but it was based on an amazing support system from my family, most especially my mum. I was depressed with not being adequate, which came from peer pressure. I was always concerned about what people would say to me; if I would be laughed at or discriminated against anytime I wanted to join a group. With time, life experiences and family issues came into the picture and affected my mental health with other factors. Certain results like pulling away from people and unusual activities, like not being able to sleep properly and having low or no energy started to creep into my life. This affected my life adversely. My mum always stood by my side and supported me even when I acted harshly or violently. She showered me with love. After some years, I couldn’t understand why she would love me so much despite my inadequacies. I made a conscious effort to be vulnerable to her with my insecurities and struggles. This has allowed me to lay down all my fears, worries, concerns, and depressions to her. I felt light because I had someone to talk to about my insecurities knowing fully well, that I won’t be laughed at. This made me focus on my personal development in achieving my long-term career goals, working productively, realizing my full potential, coping with the stresses of life, and making meaningful contributions to my communities. This was my journey on mental illness and wellness. However, my experience ever since then has changed drastically. My beliefs are now centered on love, compassion, and truth. We all need these three things in our lives to help us grow and overcome our fear. Our neighbors and strangers need love, compassion, and truth to help with their hidden struggles. In my career aspirations, I have decided to pursue what I love and not money all the time; which is to create a conducive and safe environment for future generations. This will keep me going daily when I wake up in the morning feeling so stressed or tired. To avoid being depressed or struggling in my career with mental health following my goals and not the money will help me in putting the right energy and investing my skills, which will be a win for me because I want to learn and keep learning, waking up every morning to a new challenge and the thought of putting smiles on the faces of people. In addition, a healthy relationship is a relationship of support in the darkest of all moments, true love with no particular reason. There is a popular adage that says, “two heads are better than one”. This doesn’t just talk about excellence, but also growth, support, love, and finding that shoulder to rest on. We all need relationships that can boost our energy when they are low. Furthermore, my previous experience with mental health and how I overcame it made me volunteer in various communities and schools. One of my recent volunteering activities is being a member of the advisory board on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the University of New Haven. I did this to help students struggling with all kinds of issues that are impacting or could impact their mental health, and share my experiences to provide support and hope. With the rest of the team, we have been able to create a conducive environment where students can be vulnerable about their struggles and nightmares in a confidential manner. In conclusion, in life, we just need at least one genuine support who will go through thick and thin for us. But in all, we need to be vulnerable to them and let them know what we are passing through and the struggles we are deeply facing. Drugs are temporary reliefs and not the genuine solution. Society has truly failed us because of greed, power, and gains. But even in a failed community, we can create love, support, and compassion to help one another in tough times.

Growing up during the great recession in 2009, my dad was relieved of his duties at work due to the economic hardship in the country. His carved-out plan to successfully train his children and plan for the family was dealt a massive blow when it took longer than expected to find another job. After a few years, situations turned around in our favor and he began to earn some income. However, we didn’t know there would be a pandemic that would cause another hitch to the family’s financial growth. Fast-forward, seven years later Covid 19 came. With the impact of Covid 19, little did I know that it will affect the possibility of funding my studies for a graduate degree. My dad’s salary was reduced by 45%. Two months later, knowing he was close to being laid off, I certainly knew my dream of furthering my studies will be shattered. I sat down and was in deep thought. The story 11 years ago wants to repeat itself. I should learn from his mistakes and not repeat the same mistakes. I was tired of the whole situation. I just know something has to change. This was the beginning of my quest for financial freedom. I started reading lots of books such as “Richest Man in Babylon”, and “Poor Dad and Rich Dad” to help me build a mindset of financial freedom; not constantly relying on jobs to survive. One of the things I learned was that being at the mercy of money and not allowing money to work for us is always dangerous. Moreover, I was lucky to have an uncle willing to fund my studies for a year, while I look for funding for my second year. This led me to undertake my master’s studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability; which I started on January 19, 2021. I was able to find like-minded individuals at the university which sparked my increasing passion to attain financial freedom. In the past few months, I have learned that while hopes and dreams can motivate us, they’re often open-ended or vague and if we want to live extraordinarily, then we often have to look beyond our own four walls to see who we can serve. It is the problems that we solve for others that serve as the doors to our next promotion. Giving back to people in need, to families struggling, and not seeing my family struggle the way it has done previously is always my motivation. This I believe can change the trajectory of my life because it is centered upon having an impact bigger than myself; which I believe I can conquer. Finally, I have learned the path to financial freedom isn’t a get-rich-quick strategy and doesn’t mean I am free of the responsibility of handling money well. I am ready to put in the hard work, sacrifice, and time to bring joy to the faces of people in need, help students finance their education and make my family live a comfortable life.

I am a first-year graduate student in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven. I believe in strong moral values, equality, genuine love, and peace towards all mankind irrespective of age, race, or color. My school is my community, and all students, faculties, and staff in my school are members of my community. Coming to the United States, and leaving my family and friends behind was a difficult period for me. Despite the great assistance from the school to help me settle down, it was still a struggle to navigate this new journey of life. Knowing fully well that people struggle similarly like this, I volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of the students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students to get affordable apartments. Furthermore, because of my passion to help create a diverse voice, I volunteered to serve as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI-B) to foster an open and welcoming environment for students, staff, and faculty of Tagliatela College of Engineering; where individuals can collaboratively learn and work comfortably while celebrating their identity. Together as a team, we have been able to ensure that we proactively meet evolving expectations in school and was awarded third place by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in diversity. Also, I volunteered to tutor civil engineering students on difficult topics or assignments for them to truly understand the concepts (as it takes some students longer time to comprehend new ideas) and attain good academic excellence. Moving forward, I strongly believe all races should be given equal opportunities and treat one another with love and respect. There are no limitations to what people from different races or backgrounds, the underrepresented population can achieve. In bringing about this change in cultural values, I plan to continue to live an exemplary life of peace, integrity, and diligence to demonstrate practical examples of how we should live our life for society to change for the best. In addition, I plan to be a leader in various capacities to continue to give back to any community I find myself in. This I believe is centered upon having an impact bigger than myself. Seeing the smiles of students, most especially the under-represented group gives me joy and increases my passion to continue being supportive, loyal, and kind.

Growing up during the great recession in 2009, my dad was relieved of his duties at work due to the economic hardship in Nigeria. His carved-out plan to successfully train his children and plan for the family was dealt a massive blow when it took longer than expected to find another job. After some few years, situations turned around in our favor and he began to earn some income. However, we didn’t know there would be a pandemic that would cause another hitch to the family’s financial growth. Fast-forward, ten years later Covid 19 came. With the impact of Covid 19, little did I know that it will affect the possibility of funding my studies for a graduate degree. My dad’s salary was reduced by 45%. Two months later, knowing he was close to being laid off, I certainly knew my dream of furthering my studies abroad will be shattered. I sat down and was in deep thought. The story 11 years ago wants to repeat itself. My dream to have my master’s degree in the US was looking almost impossible. I just know something has to change. Luckily, I received good news with a scholarship offer from my current university. It wasn’t a full scholarship, but with this, I knew the world was not against me. My parents sold some of the things they had, took the loan they could just for me to get to the US before my program starts. Currently, I am in my second year of graduate studies at the University of New Haven. On getting to the US with no family here, I knew I needed to survive. Survival was my daily word. In the search to survive, my mindset was also seeking financial freedom. I started reading lots of books such as “Richest Man in Babylon”, and “Poor Dad and Rich Dad” to help me build a mindset of financial freedom; not to constantly rely on jobs to survive. One of the things I learned was that being at the mercy of money and not allowing money to work for us is always dangerous. Also, I was able to find like-minded individuals at the university which sparked my increasing passion to attain financial freedom. In the past 11 months, I have learned that while hopes and dreams can motivate us, they’re often open-ended or vague and if we want to live extraordinarily, then we often have to look beyond our own four walls to see who we can serve. It is the problems that we solve for others that serve as the doors to our next promotion. Giving back to people in need, to families struggling, and not seeing my family struggle the way it has done previously is always my motivation. This I believe can change the trajectory of my life because it is centered upon having an impact bigger than myself; which I believe I can conquer. Finally, I have learned the path to financial freedom isn’t a get-rich-quick strategy and doesn’t mean I am free of the responsibility of handling money well. I am ready to put in the hard work, sacrifice, and time to bring joy to the faces of people in need, help students finance their education and make my family live a comfortable life.

Ever since I was young, I have always known that academic success is very important. Over the years, I learnt that academic success is a combination of getting good grades and analyzing the role it plays in advancing my future. Overcoming hurdles in academic life is something that everyone, whether in middle school, high school, or college, will have to do. In light of this, I decided to join the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) community so as to be part of the culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. One major NSBE program which has helped me greatly in my academic performance is the NSBE collegiate Academic Retention Program under the umbrella of academic mentoring relationship. This program helped improve my academic performance through strategic course planning, better knowledge of locating and using academic resources and great knowledge of how to use my academic performances in building career opportunities. Applying the above principles, I knew I was not only fighting to have good grades but to excel academically and position myself for great opportunities professionally. Also, applying the principles of time management skills, project management skills and stress management helped me reduce stress despite putting in more hours to study. These steps I took increased my GPA and was a vital step in increasing my academic confidence. This encouraged me to believe in myself that despite the differences I can still cope and finish with a good grade. Finally, I believe that in order to achieve academic success, we need to understand what study strategies work best for us and apply them when studying.

As a young Engineer, my dream is to create a sustainable environment and infrastructures for future generations. To see smiles on the faces of people working in the construction industry without any major health complications. To make the world a better place to live even in the face of natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. My goals are in two stages; short-term, and long-term goals. The short-term goals are: 1. To finish my master’s degree by Spring next year in flying colors. 2. To get certified under Fundamental of Engineering (FE) or Engineer in Training (E.I.T). 3. To sit for my license exam in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This will enable me to get into the sustainability-built environment. My goals on a longer run are: 1. To impact back to the world by entering the lecturing profession so that I can release back the knowledge to the younger generation. This will continue a much more improved circle of sustainable development in the Engineering family. 2. To go further in my research by developing better systems. This will boost my goal in enhancing my already created Eco-friendly Environment for the better growth and development of the world. I am on course to finish my graduate studies and currently have a cumulative GPA of 3.95/4.0. Also, I have registered for my FE exam on February 12, 2022 and LEED Green associate exam on April 30, 2022. Also, I took a research course this semester so as to stand a higher chance when applying for Ph.D. Despite various challenges I encounter, I continue to journey through this life with courage because I am focused on achieving my goals.

I want to be remembered as a good soul who brought joy, love, opportunity, and fulfillment to millions of people. There is a saying that “In order to discover our own lives, happiness and purpose, we lose ourselves in the service of others”. This is true, because by serving others, I have learnt so much about myself and purpose. Currently, at the university of New Haven, I volunteered to serve as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI-B) to foster an open and welcoming environment for students, staff and faculty of Tagliatela College of Engineering; where individuals can collaboratively learn and work comfortably while celebrating their identity. Students from all background, races, and religions are provided with resources and support needed to be successful in their academic journey. Furthermore, knowing that people struggle to settle down on campus, I volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of the students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students get affordable apartments. In conclusion, these services are a life of significance to me because it is all about serving those who need my gifts, leadership, and love. If these little actions are multiplied by millions of people, it can help a lot of people and transform the world.

My name is Olatomide Fayomi, a 25-year-old believer with a strong Christian Faith, a proud black man from an African descent. Currently serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant, campus connector and student advisor for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI-B). I believe my actions have shown my strong moral values about equality, love and peace towards all man-kind irrespective of age, race or color and what was right and wrong in the world we live in. My actions are as a result of someone I have admired from history and followed a great deal. His name is Martin Luther King Jr. Luther King wanted to make the world a better place. So, he fought for equal rights for African Americans. He was a great mind; he tackled many problems that we are facing. His life on earth showed it is essential for great minds to work together and think critically about our world. This prompted me to want to give back to society; to help the world be a better place. It is the problems that we solve for others that serve as the doors to our next promotion. Furthermore, being a leader at various capacities has provided me the opportunity to give back to people. Seeing the smiles of students, most especially the under-represented group gives me joy and increases my passion to continue being supportive, loyal, and kind. Moving forward, I strongly believe all races should be given equal opportunities and treat one another with love and respect. There are no limitations to what people from different races or backgrounds, the underrepresented population can achieve. I will continue to live an exemplary life with great minds to demonstrate practical examples of how we should live our life for society to change for the best.

In Africa, there are a lot of death cases and health issues associated with children using unclean forms of energy to study in their homes and women using it for their businesses. Furthermore, there are a lot of health issues associated with the production and construction process of infrastructures; which affect a good population of the black workforce in this industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black people make up almost 7% of the workforce in the construction industry, which is more than 45% of the black population in the US. My graduate school research work and post-graduation plans to address the above problems. I am currently undertaking my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainable construction materials so as to be able to get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university. In a bid to get the best of my master’s degree to be able to address the problems faced by the black community and Africans, I started working on a thesis that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. The use of optical fiber and fibers in concrete to make it transparent and bendable will help reduce the amount of energy required to light a house and will increase the resistance of infrastructures during natural disasters like earth-quake, tornadoes etc. In addition, some of the research work I and my supervisor are working on involves using “Eco-friendly Materials and Construction Practices” (a mix of civil engineering, construction management and sustainability) such as waste materials like plastics for effective construction practices to help reduce cost, reduce risk, curb pollution, and make the environment more conducive. This involves reuse, recycling and reduction of materials on the construction site for cost management, quality and safety of the environment, site and workforce. My post-graduation plan is to ensure that once this type of sustainable construction materials is readily available, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes for cooking, lightning and their businesses (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children’s lives will not be endangered. It will also help save money for low-income households, and help secure their homes. Also, workers' health (people working in the construction industry) will be well protected, especially with the fact that more than 45% of the black community are working in the construction industry. In the longer run, I intend to impact the world by entering the lecturing profession so that I can continue an improved circle for more technical innovations on sustainable construction materials to combat future problems in the construction industry and empower future generations. My ongoing graduate research and postgraduate plans will have a strong impact on the black community in America and Africa at large. My hunger is to use the project to add smiles to the faces of people, especially the black community.

Legacy is creating a natural environment for growth, learning and success for future generations. To me, legacy is people’s impact on human beings and the environment. Many young generations are tossed away with lots of distraction during their academic journey. Hence, the need to set good examples for students through our lives and actions. Ever since I was young, my parents instilled the idea within me that academic success is very important. Over the years, I learnt that academic success is a lot more than merely getting good grades. It is also about the role it plays in advancing my future. In light of this, I decided that everywhere I go, I want to be part of the culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. Overcoming hurdles in academic life is something that everyone, whether in middle school, high school, or college, will have to do and thus creating a legacy of academic success and career advancement is a great feat that the younger generations need to be aware of and keep to heart. There is no better way to continue to fulfil legacy than to live an exemplary life. Legacy is created only when leaders put their people into a position to do great things without them. First and foremost, I will continue to live an exemplary life of peace, integrity, diligence to demonstrate practical examples that black engineers can excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community we serve. By doing so, anybody from my race or color that comes into my school or organization will be highly spoken of because of the example’s I left behind. Passively, people are watching us by our action, and this indirectly creates a sustainable pattern of behavior black engineers can emulate and excel in all their endeavors. I strongly believe all races should be given equal opportunities and treat one another with love and respect. There are no limitations to what people from different races or backgrounds, the underrepresented population can achieve. Furthermore, I intend to continue to serve and volunteer in various organizations to help create a diverse voice of black engineers. One of them, of which I am currently serving is as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity at Tagliatela College of Engineering, University of New Haven to foster an open and welcoming environment for students, staff and faculty of; where black engineers can collaboratively learn and work comfortably while celebrating their identity. Another one is as a campus connector for black international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. In conclusion, to continue to fulfill an outstanding legacy which will last beyond us is one of my goals in life. This Legacy will continue to make black engineers relevant in the United State of America in the long-term and the world at large and gives us values that we can live by.

teaches us ways to deal with failure. Having been taught to persist through resilience by making a conscious choice to reframe failures, redirect negative thoughts, and regulate tough emotions, facing so many obstacles along the way during my academic journey at University of New Haven (UNH) was still a learning curve for me. Overcoming hurdles in academic life is something that everyone will have to do. In my case, when I got to the United State of America (USA), the experience was very different; different units of measurement, different building and bridge design code, different culture, and different style of teaching. I thought I would not be able to cope, but I kept on trying and decided to set goals. The goals took quite a bit of work because of my difficulty in understanding concepts. There were times in class I was given class work and assignments and I wasn’t able to solve them. I approached it with persistence, and saw them as a learning experience. This prompted me not to give up. While doing all these things, it made me adapt easily to my new environment by thinking outside the box in pursuit of my goals. These three processes; setting goals, carrying through failures and adaptability encouraged me to believe in myself, that I can still cope and finish with a good grade. Finally, I was able to finish my first semester with a GPA of 3.90 and second semester with a better GPA of 4.0. I believe that all successful people are perseverant. In order to become successful, it is how we have persist and learn to deal with failure that keeps us going.

In Africa, there are a lot of death cases and health issues associated with children using unclean forms of energy to study in their homes and women using it for their businesses. Furthermore, there are a lot of health issues associated with the production and construction process of infrastructures; which affect a good population of the black workforce in this industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black people make up almost 7% of the workforce in the construction industry, which is more than 45% of the black population in the US. In a bid to get the best of my master’s degree in relation to my career goal, I started working on a thesis that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. My career goal is to ensure that once this type of sustainable construction materials is readily available, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes for cooking, lightning and their businesses (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children’s lives will not be endangered. It will also help save money for low-income households, and help secure their homes. Also, workers' health (people working in the construction industry) will be well protected, especially with the fact that more than 45% of the black community are working in the construction industry. My ongoing education and career plans will have a strong impact on the black community in America and Africa at large. My hunger is to use the project to add smiles to the faces of people, especially the black community.

In Africa, there are a lot of death cases and health issues associated with children using unclean forms of energy to study in their homes and women using it for their businesses. Furthermore, there are a lot of health issues associated with the production and construction process of infrastructures; which affect a good population of the black workforce in this industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black people make up almost 7% of the workforce in the construction industry, which is more than 45% of the black population in the US. In a bid to get the best of my master’s degree in relation to my career goal, I started working on a thesis that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. My career goal is to ensure that once this type of sustainable construction materials is readily available, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes for cooking, lightning and their businesses (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children’s lives will not be endangered. It will also help save money for low-income households, and help secure their homes. Also, workers' health (people working in the construction industry) will be well protected, especially with the fact that more than 45% of the black community are working in the construction industry. My ongoing education and career plans will have a strong impact on the black community in America and Africa at large. My hunger is to use the project to add smiles to the faces of people, especially the black community.

Seeing the smiles of students, I have assisted, gives me joy and increases my passion to continue to show love effortlessly. Showing love means being there for one another through good and bad times. It is all about making the world a better place. I have volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of 12 students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped 2 students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students get affordable apartments. This is what love is all about; all from a genuine heart of love. Furthermore, because of my passion to help create a diverse voice, I volunteered to serve as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI-B) to foster an open and welcoming environment, where all students, staff and faculty of Tagliatela College of Engineering; can show love to each other regardless of background or race or color. In conclusion, getting through this life with genuine charity, shows riches beyond measure. Charity means love. It is when you care for and love a person genuinely. I strongly believe I have been able to portray charity and leadership in 12 months of my stay here at the University of New Haven and I will continue to seek to support students and strive to be the best for the

Ever since I was young, my parents instilled in me that perseverance helps build self-confidence and teaches us ways to deal with failure. Having been taught to persevere through resilience by making a conscious choice to reframe failures, redirect negative thoughts, and regulate tough emotions, facing so many obstacles along the way during my academic journey at University of New Haven (UNH) was still a learning curve for me. Overcoming hurdles in academic life is something that everyone will have to do. In my case, when I got to the United State of America (USA), the experience was very different; different units of measurement, different building and bridge design code, different culture, and different style of teaching. I thought I would not be able to cope, but I kept on trying and decided to set goals. The goals took quite a bit of work because of my difficulty in understanding concepts. There were times in class I was given class work and assignments and I wasn’t able to solve them. I approached it with perseverance, and saw them as a learning experience. This prompted me not to give up. While doing all these things, it made me adapt easily to my new environment by thinking outside the box in pursuit of my goals. These three processes; setting goals, carrying through failures and adaptability encouraged me to believe in myself, that I can still cope and finish with a good grade. Finally, I was able to finish my first semester with a GPA of 3.90 and second semester with a better GPA of 4.0. I believe that all successful people are perseverant. In order to become successful, it is how we have persevered and learnt to deal with failure that keeps us going.

Growing up, I had a lot of questions, concerns with life, environment, people’s behavior that many students are having now; my curiosity gave me a solid platform to ask many questions and my willingness to learn was a good medium to actively listen to people because I always want to learn and develop myself. Listening is like planting a seed in the dirt. It was a process that took time for me to learn. As a little child, I couldn’t really pinpoint any benefit from it or see any immediate result. Now I am twenty-five years old and I can boldly tell people that of all the skills of leadership, listening is the most valuable and one of the least understood. Listening is an investment in knowledge that pays a good interest. Listening to understand, taking notes of what people say, and writing key words has sharpened my listening skills. I noticed I gained much more when I am listening than when I am talking. So far, my listening skills have helped me facilitate my learning, acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, habits and personal development. I have had the privilege to experience various amazing projects and to learn from professionals just by listening to them share their experiences; which encouraged me to want to do more in life. I know this is my story. But it could be your story, anyone’s story, or even a better story. The people who listen more are the ones that move toward and wisdom is the reward from listening.

In the past few years, I have learnt that while hopes and dreams can motivate us, they’re often open-ended or vague and if we want to live extraordinarily, then we often have to look beyond our own four walls to see who we can serve. It is the problems that we solve for others that serve as the doors to our next promotion. My passion is to create a sustainable, safe and functional infrastructures for future generations to help combat rising sea levels, increase in population and climate change. I am passionate about making the world a better place for humanity through the power of Civil Engineering. Currently, I am pursuing a Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Sustainability. This step was taken to help me get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university. In a bid to get the best of my master’s degree in line with my life goal, I started working on three different projects (Eco-friendly Materials, Effective Construction Practices, Infrastructure Resilience) that are geared towards reducing cost, effective construction management practices and increasing sustainability of construction materials respectively. I am certain that once this type of material is readily available and used in the construction industry, it will help improve workers' health, reduce environmental pollution from construction materials landfills. Most importantly, it will protect infrastructures from future natural disasters; like the recent tornado destruction in Kentucky that left many people homeless and killed some people, and 12-story beachfront condominium building collapse in Miami, Florida. Finally, I am ready to put in the hard work, sacrifice and time to bring joy to the faces of people in need. I believe with hard work, passion to serve people, and dedication I can fulfill all my goals in life.

The ability to draw happiness from the little things in life centers my attention on all the beautiful aspects that are already to be found in life. When these small things are done consistently on a daily basis, they are so much bigger than the great things we think. Smiling is that simple pleasure I do that doesn’t only make me happy but also makes me see the world as a beautiful place. Researchers have shown that smiling signals the brain to release tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress. Over the past 13 years, smiling has helped put me in a better mood at different moments in life. My experience with stress, depression, and anxiety has greatly reduced since I started to smile intentionally irrespective of any situation. Furthermore, during high school, smiling taught me patience. It helped increase my confidence, concentration, persistence and self-discipline. It was a medium I used to connect easily with a diverse community of people with similar goals. This deliberate action of smiling helped me in school to fight mental illness, and stress; which in turn helped me achieve a good grade in school. Looking back through the years, being intentional about smiling hasn’t only benefited my mental health but also my physical health. It has improved my sleeping habits, and endurance. If someone would have told me 13 years ago that smiling helps relieve stress, and improve one’s mental and physical health, I would have doubted it. Now, it is not surprising the positive effects smiling has had on my health and happiness despite my busy schedule and frustrating days. Now smiling is something I do effortlessly and easily. It is important to give yourself time to do the things that bring us joy and benefit in life.

In the past few years, I have learnt that while hopes and dreams can motivate us, they’re often open-ended or vague and if we want to live extraordinarily, then we often have to look beyond our own four walls to see who we can serve. It is the problems that we solve for others that serve as the doors to our next promotion. My life goal is to create a sustainable, safe and functional infrastructures for future generations to help combat rising sea levels, increase in population and climate change. I am passionate about making the world a better place for humanity through the power of Civil Engineering. Currently, I am pursuing a Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Sustainability. This step was taken to help me get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university. In a bid to get the best of my master’s degree in line with my life goal, I started working on three different projects (Eco-friendly Materials, Effective Construction Practices, Infrastructure Resilience) that are geared towards reducing cost, effective construction management practices and increasing sustainability of construction materials respectively. I am certain that once this type of material is readily available and used in the construction industry, it will help improve workers' health, reduce environmental pollution from construction materials landfills. Most importantly, it will protect infrastructures from future natural disasters; like the recent tornado destruction in Kentucky that left many people homeless and killed some people, and 12-story beachfront condominium building collapse in Miami, Florida. Finally, I am ready to put in the hard work, sacrifice and time to bring joy to the faces of people in need. I believe with hard work, passion to serve people, and dedication I can fulfill all my goals in life.

I want to be remembered as a good soul who brought joy, love, opportunity, and fulfillment to millions of people. There is a saying that “In order to discover our own lives, happiness and purpose, we lose ourselves in the service of others”. This is true, because by serving others, I have learnt so much about myself and purpose. Currently, at the university of New Haven, I volunteered to serve as a student member in the advisory board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI-B) to foster an open and welcoming environment for students, staff and faculty of Tagliatela College of Engineering; where individuals can collaboratively learn and work comfortably while celebrating their identity. Students from all background, races, and religions are provided with resources and support needed to be successful in their academic journey. Furthermore, knowing that people struggle to settle down on campus, I volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of the students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students get affordable apartments. In conclusion, these services are a life of significance to me because it is all about serving those who need my gifts, leadership, and love. If these little actions are multiplied by millions of people, it can help a lot of people and transform the world.

I see myself as a relay runner. I would take the baton and I would run my leg of the race effectively and then I would pass the baton to the next runner. Over the years, my belief is that I must leave something behind in this life to make the world a bit better, and to know that even one life has breathed easier because I lived. My life goal is to create a sustainable, safe and functional infrastructures for future generations to help combat rising sea levels, increase in population, natural disaster and climate change. I am passionate about making the world a better place for humanity through the power of Civil Engineering. Currently, I am pursuing a Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Sustainability. This step was taken to help me get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university. In a bid to get the best of my master’s degree in line with my life goal, I started working on three different projects (Eco-friendly Materials, Effective Construction Practices, Infrastructure Resilience) that are geared towards reducing cost, effective construction management practices and increasing sustainability of construction materials respectively. I am certain that once this type of material is readily available and used in the construction industry, it will help improve workers' health, reduce environmental pollution from construction materials landfills. Most importantly, it will protect infrastructures from future natural disasters; like the recent tornado destruction in Kentucky that left many people homeless and killed some people, and 12-story beachfront condominium building collapse in Miami, Florida. This goal is to create something that future generations will benefit from; a piece of sustainable infrastructure that will withstand the test of time and is passed down for generations.

Coming to the United States, and leaving my family and friends behind was a difficult period for me. However, being able to receive from people made settling down much easier than expected. Knowing fully well that people struggle similarly like this, I volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of the students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students get affordable apartments. Furthermore, being able to give to people has changed the trajectory of my life because it is centered upon having an impact bigger than myself. Seeing the smiles of students, most especially the under-represented group gives me joy and increases my passion to continue being supportive, loyal, and kind. Getting through this life with genuine charity, shows riches beyond measure. It is an action that shows respect. It means being honest with each other. I have learnt that while hopes and dreams can motivate us, they’re often open-ended or vague and if we want to live extraordinarily, then we often have to look beyond our own four walls to see who we can serve. It is the problems that we solve for others that serve as the doors to our next promotion. Giving back to people in need, to families struggling and not seeing my family struggle the way it has done previously is always my motivation.

I can still vividly remember, in December, 2019 when the first case of Covid 19 was recorded. Little did I know that seven months later it will affect my job; my salary was reduced by 45%. knowing I was close to being laid off, I sat down and was in deep thought, then I started recalling reports of how some women lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, and diesel generators. Recalling those experiences in that community and the current effect of Covid 19 on my career, sparked a passion to solve their problems and make living comfortable. This led me to undertake my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability. My goal from my master’s studies is to ensure that there are more sustainable materials used in building construction. Once this type of material is readily available and used, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, and save money for low-income households.

Coming to the United States, and leaving my family and friends behind was a difficult period for me. I struggled not having that support to help me navigate this new journey of life. Knowing fully well that people struggle similarly like this, I volunteered to serve as a campus connector for international students to help navigate this new journey and phase of life. Out of 12 students I was attached to, I am glad to have helped 2 students get jobs on campus in the space of 6 weeks, provided school resources and locations, and assisted students get affordable apartments. This is what friendship is all about; all from a genuine heart of love. I strongly believe getting through this life with one REAL friend, shows riches beyond measure. Friendship means love. It is when you care for and love a person genuinely. It is an action that shows sacrifice to go out of your way to show support to people in need. Knowing the value of friendship and being there when your friends need you ultimately makes the world a better place. Furthermore, friendship to me means respect. It means being there for one another through good and bad times. It means being honest with each other. True friendship is unconditional. Seeing the smiles of students I assisted gives me joy and increases my passion to continue being a supportive, loyal, and kind friend. Also, showing love without asking for anything in return changes the mindset of people of what friendship is truly all about and gives a good example that genuine friends still exist. I will continue to seek to support students and strive to be the best friends I can.

Playing soccer is a physical activity that releases chemicals in the brain which trigger feelings of happiness. Over the past 13 years, playing soccer has helped put me in a better mood at different moments and throughout time. My experience with stress, depression, and anxiety has greatly reduced since I started playing soccer. Furthermore, during high school, playing soccer taught me coordination and teamwork. It helped increase my confidence, concentration, persistence and self-discipline. It was a medium I used to meet a diverse community of people with similar goals. All these skills I learnt, helped me in school to fight mental illness, and stress. Also, it helped me achieve a good grade in school. Looking back through the years, soccer hasn’t only benefited my mental health but also my physical health. It has improved my sleeping habits, strength, endurance and muscle. At work, I could stand or work for long hours without getting tired. If someone would have told me 13 years ago that playing soccer helps relieve stress, and improve one’s mental and physical health, I would have doubted it. Now, it is not surprising the positive effects playing soccer has had on my health and happiness despite my busy schedule. In conclusion, no matter how busy one’s schedule is, it is important to give yourself time to do the things that bring us joy and benefit in life.

3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) - One of the most Promising Technologies for the Construction Sector Technology has had our breakfast and lunch, now because of COVID-19; it wants our dinner and will force a change to our diet. Today and in the future, we all have a role to play in technology. Hence, the need to utilize the right technology at the right time and in the right way is of paramount importance in a technological world. My name is Olatomide Fayomi, a passionate student who recognizes the potential in technology for the future and is ambitious to harness my full potential in infusing technology into Civil Engineering to change the world for the better. My goal is to build a green technology for civil engineering construction. This involves 3D-printing of a sustainable, flexible and transparent building façade. There are some digital fabrication techniques used generally in engineering. However, extrusion-based 3D concrete printing (3DCP) is one of the most promising technologies for the renovation of the construction sector. It involves design, and prototyping of a precast building envelope to be prefabricated with extrusion-based 3D concrete printing (3DCP). This new design aims to exploit the potential of 3D printing for prefabricated components, especially in terms of reusability, recyclability, modularity, versatility, adaptability, and sustainability; which in turn will help in reducing carbon footprint and create a conducive environment for current and future generations. Currently at the University of New Haven, I have started researching this technology and see how I can be involved in this exciting idea in the form of continued research to improve my skills, and inspire innovation toward the country’s technological, and developmental goals, especially in the face of a big decline in United State infrastructures. The construction industry has increasingly been in need of a technological advancement in construction procedures to help eliminate accidents, reduce cost, speed up construction process and provide a sustainable environment. With 3DCP coming in at the right time, it is a very exciting future for infrastructures especially with the effect of climate change and infrastructure deterioration. Embracing this technology and managing it with effective leadership will also represent the underrepresented voices in an advanced technological world; which is the most vital ingredient of success. Also, this will create a continuous stream for communities to work together, support one another and achieve the desired goal. Growth, ideas and providing solutions is and will always be a trait when technology is involved. Construction process will be safer, faster and have a more aesthetic look.

Technology has had our breakfast and lunch, now because of COVID-19; it wants our dinner and will force a change to our diet. Today and in the future, diversity has a major role to play in technology. The work place, industry, and schools have increasingly been dominated by a wave of technological advancements and this responsibility is too large for a single demographic to have control over. Also, a lack of diverse ideas could lead to further gaps between age, gender and race. Diversity speaks from different cultures, sexual orientations, gender expressions, geographical locations, which can help businesses build technology that's thoughtful and inclusive of all potential users. The need to utilize the right technology at the right time and in the right way is of paramount importance in a technological world and with the vital knowledge I get from the University of New Haven I will be able to apply technology on the right tasks and improve diversity. My goal is to build a green technology for civil engineering construction. This involves 3D-prinitng of a sustainable, flexible and transparent building façade. Among the digital fabrication techniques, extrusion-based 3D concrete printing (3DCP) is one of the most promising technologies for the renovation of the construction sector. It involves design, and prototyping of a precast building envelope to be prefabricated with extrusion-based 3D concrete printing (3DCP). This new design aims to exploit the potential of 3D printing for prefabricated components, especially in terms of reusability, recyclability, modularity, versatility, adaptability, and sustainability; which in turn will help in reducing carbon footprint and create a conducive environment for current and future generations. Embracing technology and managing it with effective leadership to represent the underrepresented voices in an advanced technological world is the most vital ingredient of success. With the use of my proposed green technology, my aspirations for the underrepresented voices who are limited by location, access, and language are as follows: a. Give Flexibility to Employees: With the technology, leaders can facilitate a collaborative work environment to a loyal employee who is committed to deliver the best to the organization and at the same time needs freedom to work from any other location other than the office. This sense of freedom not only leaves an employee satisfied but also motivates him or her to work more efficiently due to increased convenience. b. Ability to Manage Anywhere in Real-Time: Technology has given birth to more communication tools than ever. The number of tasks being accomplished by various teams in real-time at different locations can be monitored. Meetings can easily be organized through video conferencing tools such as Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom etc. c. Overcome Language Barriers: The mark of true leadership is to excel even amid difficult situations. Using translation tools to create or translate will be a great bonus for effective management for people in different ethnic groups. This will create a continuous stream of a diverse community to work together, support one another and achieve the desired goal. Growth, ideas and providing solutions is and will always be a trait when technology is included in a diverse community. Finally, in combination with one of my volunteering activities serving as an advisory board on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the University of New Haven has given me more insight on the need of a diverse community and their benefits.

Looking back at my teenage years, I struggled a lot mentally, but somehow, I survived. My survival was not based on my mental strength or luck but it was based on an amazing support system from my family, most especially my mum. I was depressed with not being adequate enough, which came from peer pressure. I was always concerned about what people would say to me; if I would be laughed at or discriminated against anytime I wanted to join a group. With time, life experiences and family issues came into the picture and affected my mental health with other factors. Certain results like pulling away from people and unusual activities, like not being able to sleep properly and having low or no energy started to creep in my life. This affected my life adversely. My mum always stood by my side and supported me even when I acted harshly or violently. She showered me with love. After some years, I couldn’t really understand why she would love me so much despite my inadequacies. I made a conscious effort to be vulnerable to her with my insecurities and struggles. This has allowed me to lay down all my fears, worries, concerns and depressions to her. I felt light because I had someone to talk to about my insecurities knowing fully well, I won’t be laughed at. This made me focus on my personal development in achieving my long-term career goals, work productively, realize my full potential, cope with the stresses of life and make meaningful contributions to my communities. This was my journey on mental illness and wellness. However, my experience ever since then has changed drastically. My beliefs are now centered on love, compassion and truth. We all need these three things in our life to help us grow and overcome our fear. Our neighbors and strangers need love, compassion and truth to help with their hidden struggles. In my career aspirations, I have decided to pursue what I love and not money all the time; which is creating a conducive and safe environment for future generations. This will keep me going on a daily basis, when I wake up in the morning feel so stressed or tired. To avoid being depressed or struggling in my career with mental health following my goals and not the money will help me in putting the right energy and investing my skills, which will be a win for me because I want to learn and keep learning, waking up every morning to a new challenge and the thought of putting smiles on the faces of people. In addition, a healthy relationship is a relationship of support in the darkest of all moments, true love with no particular reason. There is a popular adage that says, “two heads are better than one”. This doesn’t just talk about excellence, but also growth, support, love, finding that shoulder to rest on. We all need relationships that can boost our energy when they are low. Furthermore, previous experience with mental health and how I overcame it made me volunteer in various communities and schools. One of recent volunteering activities is a member of the advisory board on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the University of New Haven. I did this to help students struggling with all kinds of issues that are impacting or could impact their mental health, share my experiences to provide support and hope. With the rest of the team, we have been able to create a conducive environment where students can be vulnerable about their struggles and nightmares in a confidential manner. In conclusion, in life we just need at least one genuine support who will go through thick and thin for us. But in all we need to be vulnerable to them, let them really know what we are passing through and the struggles we are deeply facing. Drugs are temporary reliefs and not the genuine solution. Society has truly failed us because of greed, power and gains. But even in a failed community we can create love, support, compassion to help one another in tough times.

Soaked in deep thoughts with a face of shock, I sat down on the small mold of a brick block in a local community in Aba, Abia State, South-Eastern part of Nigeria on March 2020 during an official trip I led titled “Clean Energy Workshop for Women Owned SMEs and for Households”. During the workshop, some women narrated their stories of how they lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, candle sticks and diesel generators. One of the reports that got to me real deep was a child using a candle to study in the night because there was no light. While he was studying, he fell asleep and in the process of stretching, he kicked the candle which fell on the rug in the house and it caught fire. That was how the child lost his life in the fire incident all because he wanted to study and do well in school. My experiences in that community sparked an increased interest in wanting to solve their problems and make living comfortable for them. I immediately joined the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) during my NYSC under the Community Development Service (CDS); so as to be part of the team that will ensure a cleaner and healthier environment. I and my team provided free capacity building workshops for the students in that community. The workshop basically was on the environmental and health impact of using green forms of energy in their everyday lives at an affordable rate. The training also provided a background for students on the entrepreneurship aspect of clean energy and how they key into it. Then, I came up with the idea of producing a safe and sustainable means of energy for children, mothers and fathers can use at home and in their businesses without causing harm; which in turn is having a positive impact in my career. This led me to undertake my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability so as to be able to get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university in a developed country; which I started on January 19, 2021. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on a thesis that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. My goal from this higher education journey is to ensure that once this type of sustainable construction materials are readily available, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children lives will not be endangered, save money to low-income households, and help secure their homes (because they can see what is going on outside through their walls and also in situations of earthquake).

As a little child, I had no worries. But as I grew older, I was much more concerned with my emotional, psychological, and social well-being. I was always concerned about what someone would say to me; if I would be laughed at or discriminated against any time I wanted to join a group. With time, life experiences and family issues came into the picture and affected my mental health with other factors. Certain results like pulling away from people and unusual activities, like not being able to sleep properly and having low or no energy started to creep in my life. This affected my life adversely and my grades in school suffered for it. Luckily for me, after a few years, I developed interest in soccer and this really helped me take my mind from issues that were affecting me by connecting with people of similar interests, staying positive, getting physically active through daily exercise, helping other students when they face similar issues and getting enough sleep. Overall, since I developed interest in soccer, my mental health has been positive and stress reduced greatly from life. This has allowed me to excel greatly in my studies, focus on my personal development in achieving my long-term career goals, work productively, realize my full potential, cope with the stresses of life and make meaningful contributions to their communities. Stress is a fact of life. No matter how much we might long for a stress-free existence, the fact is, stress is actually necessary. It’s how we respond to stress that can negatively affect our lives. Responding positively to stress impacts our mental health greatly.

At a very young age of about seven years old, I have already started repairing electronics at home, fixing minor software issues, like phone, computer etc. My curiosity and open mindedness, made me keep my options open in exploring any possible career path. Eighteen years from now, I am a Civil Engineer with a passion of providing a sustainable construction material to protect the unskilled laborers (most especially), skilled laborers and the environment at large. When I was twenty-one years old, I had the privilege to experience various great and amazing construction projects by following my father to various construction sites. On this particular day, I was on a construction site with my father during the renovation of an 8-story residential building and two different accidents happened. One of them was when a worker suddenly collapsed during the construction activity. Later after some days, we heard from the doctor that the worker had obstructive pulmonary disease (which refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems); which was caused from inhaling some construction materials while working. Secondly, was the quantity of waste in the form of (Construction and demolition {C&D} materials like concrete, plastics, bricks etc.) that was located around the construction site. This was causing a lot of environmental pollution and obstructions on the construction site; which could cause major accidents. That singular experience in the renovation of an 8-story residential building was the final straw that broke the Camel's back for me; it sparked my interest in my desire to solve these problems and make work comfortable for both the workers in the construction industry, the inhabitants and environments. I said to myself, People cannot be working to make ends meet, taking care of their families and also endangering their health in the process. Neighborhoods around construction sites should not be negatively impacted with construction practices just because they are going about their normal activities around a construction site. This prompted me to take a 3-month certification course on Project Management and Health Safety and Environment to have a better technical understanding of the construction industry and the safety regulations; but I really couldn’t do anything practical with it. So, I joined a Community Development Service (CDS); so as to be part of the team that will ensure a cleaner and healthier environment. After two years, I noticed the circle hasn’t changed much, hence, I knew I would have to do something outside the norm to make an impact in the lives of people and came up with a project titled “Eco-friendly Materials” (a mix of civil engineering, material science and sustainability). Basically, what the project entails is using waste materials like plastics as a partial or total replacement for the regular construction materials to help reduce cost, reduce risk, curb pollution, and make the environment more conducive. Furthermore, it also involves reuse, recycling and reduction of materials on the construction site for cost management, quality and safety of the environment and site. I decided to further my career with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering majoring in Sustainable Construction Materials (combination of sustainable construction practices and sustainable building materials in order to reduce waste and environmental impact) at the University of New Haven. This step was taken to help me get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university, which I started on January 19, 2021. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on three different projects (Eco-friendly Materials, Engineered Cementitious Composite, Infrastructure Resilience) that are geared towards reducing cost, producing better materials and increasing sustainability of construction materials respectively. I have commenced researching on some literature reviews and started carrying out different practical's on this subject matter. I was able to manufacture a translucent concrete in the laboratory with a high strength. However, I was dealt a major blow with the effect of COVID-19 on my proposed funding. My current struggle right now is the ability to conduct more practical tests to test the suitability of the research I am carrying out. The availability of funds has just limited me to theoretical and analytical research work. This scholarship will help me make a major progress towards carrying more practical's to validate my research work. My Long-term goal from this higher education journey is to ensure that once this type of material is readily available and used in the construction industry, it will help reduce cost, increase quality, safety, scope, and function. In addition, workers' health will be well protected, the environment will be free from construction materials landfills. In the longer run, I intend to impact the world by entering the lecturing profession so that I can continue an improved circle for more technical innovations on concrete materials and material science to combat future problems in the concrete industry. My hunger is to use the project to add a smile to the faces of people, especially the black community. About 11% of blacks are working as unskilled labor in the construction industry and the total population of blacks in the US is about 13%. My ongoing project will also have a strong impact on the black community.

Growing up in a family with a lot of construction professionals, I have had the privilege to experience various great and amazing construction projects. However, some of my experiences have also been some construction management issues ranging from health issues, to increased pollution and safety of human beings. One of those experiences was when I was twenty-one years old, shortly after my undergraduate degree. I was on a construction site with my father during the renovation of an 8-story residential building. On this particular day, there were two different accidents that happened. One of them was when a worker suddenly collapsed during the construction activity. Later after some days, we heard from the doctor that the worker had obstructive pulmonary disease (which refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems); which was caused from inhaling some construction materials while working. Secondly, was the quantity of waste in the form of (Construction and demolition {C&D} materials like concrete, plastics, bricks etc.) that was located around the construction site. This was causing a lot of environmental pollution and obstructions on the construction site; which could cause major accidents. That singular experience in the renovation of an 8-story residential building was the final straw that broke the Camel's back for me; it sparked an interest in my desire to solve these problems and make work comfortable for both the workers in the construction industry, the inhabitants and environments. People cannot be working to make ends meet, taking care of their families and also endangering their health in the process. Neighborhoods around construction sites should not be negatively impacted with construction practices just because they are going about their normal activities around a construction site. This prompted me to join a Community Development Service (CDS); so as to be part of the team that will ensure a cleaner and healthier environment. After two years, I noticed the circle hasn’t changed much, hence, I knew I would have to do something outside the norm to make an impact in the lives of people and came up with a project titled “Eco-friendly Materials and Construction Practices” (a mix of civil engineering, construction management and sustainability). Basically, what the project entails is using waste materials like plastics for effective construction practices to help reduce cost, reduce risk, curb pollution, and make the environment more conducive. I decided to further my career in Civil Engineering majoring in Sustainable Construction Management (combination of sustainable construction practices and sustainable building materials in order to reduce waste and environmental impact) at the University of New Haven. This step was taken to help me get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university, which I started on January 19, 2021. In a bid to get the better of my degree in line with my passion, I started working on three different projects (Eco-friendly Materials, Effective Construction Practices, Infrastructure Resilience) that are geared towards reducing cost, effective construction management practices and increasing sustainability of construction materials respectively. I have commenced researching on some literature reviews and started carrying out different practicals on this subject matter. My Long-term goal from this higher education journey is to ensure that once this type of material is readily available and used in the construction industry, it will help protect workers' health and the environment from construction materials landfills. Also, it will help integrate alternative sustainable construction methods in terms of prefab construction and construction management software to reduce the enormous paper work involved.

The song titled “Believe” sang by Imagine Dragons spoke to me directly during my trying periods. Over the years depression has had my breakfast, the sight of seeing women and children suffer, had my lunch, and now because of COVID-19; it wants my dinner and has forced a change to my diet. My story is in two folds; the financial struggle to come to the United State of America (USA) for my academic pursuit in creating sustainable solutions for women and children, and the financial impact of COVID-19 during my academic journey. My searching period all started when I attended a workshop titled “Clean Energy Workshop for Women Owned SMEs and for Households” in Aba, Abia State, South-Eastern part of Nigeria. After the workshop, I was soaked in deep thoughts with a face of shock, as I sat down on the small mold of a brick block. Different women gave reports of how some women lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, candle sticks and diesel generators. One of the reports that got to me real deep was a child using a candle to study in the night because there was no light. While he was studying, he fell asleep and in the process of stretching, he kicked the candle which fell on the rug in the house and it caught fire. That was how the child lost his life in the fire incident all because he wanted to study and attain academic success in school. My experiences in that community sparked an interest in my desire to solve their problems and make living comfortable for women and children. Immediately, I joined two voluntary services to start doing the best I can to help the community. Two of the organizations were NESREA (National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency) and Community Development Service (CDS); so as to be part of the team that will ensure a cleaner and healthier environment. I noticed it was still a circle and the cases were still coming up. Hence, I knew I would have to do something extraordinary to make an impact in the lives of people and came up with a project titled “Eco-friendly Materials” (a mix of civil engineering and sustainability). Basically, what the project entails is using waste materials and plastics for construction to help curb pollution, and make the environment more conducive. I decided to pursue my career with a Masters study at any accredited University in the USA. This was where I encountered another struggle. I needed funding to be able to undertake my studies. I submitted proposals, made several scholarship applications all to know avail. In the midst of my searching period to find an answer, I asked so many questions but no answer came. I doubted myself and abilities and kept pushing, searching in the midst of depression; I just had to believe. I wanted the voices of the oppressed to be heard, the cry of women who lost their children to be heard, the cry of children who lost their mothers to be heard. Fast-forward, after two years, I was able to get partial funding at the University of New Haven for my master’s degree in Nigeria. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on a project that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. I have researched some literature reviews and started carrying out different practicals on this subject matter. I was dealt a major blow with the effect of COVID-19. Financially I was ripped apart. I didn’t know how to provide for my remaining fees, and my living stipends. It affected the work I was doing because I couldn’t concentrate anymore. But I never gave up, the pain broke me down and built me up better. My goal from this higher education journey is to ensure that once this type of materials are readily available and used in building construction, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children lives will not be endangered, it will help save money to low-income households, and help secure their homes (because they can see what is going on outside through their walls and also in situations of earthquake). In addition, it can be used to illuminate highways at night and certain signs and symbols; this will help in saving a lot of accidents at night and make transportation smooth and seamless. As I recollect the words from the song title “Believer”; “I am still fired up, even though a passage doesn’t come without obstruction”, I still believe in my ability and the solutions I can bring to make the world a better place. Even with my current financial restrictions, I believe I will make a change. I want to appreciate the “Imagine Dragon Band” for the opportunity to share my story and be a voice to those struggling knowing there is a bright future ahead of everyone of us struggling; we just have to believe and keep believing.

Over the past 10 years, there have been several natural calls on the need to protect the earth, environment and living things residing on it. On August 30, 2021, the latest call was the recent hurricane Ida; one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast knocked out power to over 1 million homes in Louisiana that happened and caused so much havoc. We cannot continue to miss the call intentionally and pretend we didn’t get the calls. Sitting down, folding our hands and doing nothing in a rising condition that would most likely be difficult for the future generation to live in is harmful and dangerous. Renewable resources are susceptible to depletion if the rate of usage is higher than the rate of replenishment. Hence, the calls for concerted efforts towards building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and the planet. In a bid to write to positively impact the world through knowledge and research, I decided to undertake my master’s studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven with a concentration in environmental sustainability. In order to address this gap, there is a need to advance environmental policy through climate and environmental education; which involves innovative and technology enabled education tools focusing on the younger demographics in elementary and high schools. The objective is to use education to drive societal transformations with regards to our national and regional climate change issues, and helping to increase access to modern day education through the availability of energy access systems in schools. The following are my proposals on some innovative policy change to help curb climate crisis and they include the following: a) To build sustainable models for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs working through schools, community associations, religious associations and age grade. b) Development of simplified educational and interactive tools (audio, video, written, graphic, tech apps) for primary and high school students, and teachers on climate change/environmental sustainability, which will be delivered through books and teaching aids. c) The need to advance renewable energy-based education; climate education; and climate action through innovative and technology enabled incubation programs. The purpose of incubation programs is to help create and grow young businesses by providing them with necessary financial and technical services. This is a dimension which I seek to add to this initiative for the development of innovative solutions ideated by students with potential for scalability and commercial application, and to encourage the development of a niche set of young energy and climate action social entrepreneurs and advocates. Furthermore, there will be uphill battles for the world to navigate in these times of climate change. Hence, ensuring the protection of environmental and natural resource conservation through training towards behavioral change and sustainable resource use (such as elimination of tree cutting and wood use) will be a major drive to a green economy. Also, adopting these environmental policies will enable the younger generations and community members to understand the inter-linkages between human activities and the life all around us and how the impact could adversely affect our health, threaten our food security and the sustainability of our planet. I strongly believe if these are done in small subsets, it will stop the major emissions coming from corporations and the world will be a better place for us all and for the future generations.

I got this inspiration precisely in March, 2018 during my mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC); a one-year service to Nigeria, which I did in Ilesha, Osun State. Soaked in deep thoughts with a face of shock, I sat down on the small mold of brick block in a local community named Oke-Odo, in Ilesha, Osun State, South-Western part of Nigeria, I saw waste materials (both organic and inorganic materials especially plastics) littered everywhere. Flood drains were also filled with these waste materials. This has resulted in a lot of environmental problems especially flooding and pollution. I learnt this has been the situation of the community for many years and it has been detrimental to their health. I met various women in the community and they had stories of how they lost some of their children due to the flood and pollution related diseases. My experiences in that community sparked an increased interest in wanting to solve their problems and make living comfortable for them. I immediately joined National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) during my NYSC under the Community Development Service (CDS); so as to be part of the team that will ensure a cleaner and healthier environment by practicing it and educating students. Hence, my reason for coming up with a project titled “Eco-friendly Infrastructure” (a mix of engineering and sustainability). Basically, what the project entails is using waste materials like plastics to construct eco-friendly infrastructure thus helping to curb pollution and make the environment more conducive. The process involves materials design for the environment and infrastructures. It will make the construction process faster, reduce cost and pollution, give a better aesthetic look, increase safety of infrastructures against natural disasters and most importantly help better the lives of people in the communities by eliminating flood and pollution to create better lives for them. In order to get a professional understanding of the actual situation in Nigeria and also Africa at large on the intensity of this problem and way out of it, I joined Clean Technology Hub Energy; an energy, environment and Climate organization after my service year. There, asides from learning environmental design and waste management, I gained additional insight on the positive impact of clean energy on the environment. However, I realized that I needed a multidisciplinary approach to passing my Engineering knowledge in relation to sustainable environment. In view of this, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Engineering at University of New Haven - a perfect environment for a hard-working and smart youth and was awarded a Teaching Assistant in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Participating in this degree as a Teaching Assistant allowed me to implement advanced training in waste management, air pollution fundamentals, and materials design for the environment; which helped in capacity building of students interested in material science. The exposure afforded by this opportunity is unquantifiable in terms of knowledge and capacity development of young STEM students. My goal is to carry out further research with young students during the 2021/2022 academic session that is focused on improving access to sustainability in the environment- majorly for women and children, development of a free waste environment at various rural communities - which in turn will reduce flooding and pollution, help include sustainable engineering courses at higher institution curriculum and as professional courses, curb prevalent emission trends and pursue the objective of preserving a safe environment for future generations by ensuring the principles of reuse, reduce, recycle and refuse.

I can still vividly remember Prof. John Atseye words of encouragement and challenge towards me, on November 28, 2019 during an official trip I led titled “Clean Energy Workshop for Women Owned SMEs and for Households” in Aba, Abia State, South-Eastern part of Nigeria. During the workshop, Prof. John, gave reports of how some women lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, candle sticks and diesel generators. One of his reports that got to me real deep was a child using a candle to study in the night because there was no light. While he was studying, he fell asleep and in the process of stretching, he kicked the candle which fell on the rug in the house and it caught fire. That was how the child lost his life in the fire incident all because he wanted to study and do well in school. After the workshop, Prof. John met with me and we had a discussion. He got acquainted with my school background and advised me accordingly on ways I could utilize my talent and knowledge in helping this community and others at large. He challenged me that I could do it and secure a scholarship abroad to do more practicals in a developed country at any top university in solving the underlying problem in Nigeria and Africa at Large. Recalling those experiences in that community and my discussions with Prof. John, it sparked a believe that I could further my studies higher and, in the process, to solve their problems. During my thought process, a benefit - cost analysis came to my mind; that if the parents spent their money buying those unclean forms of energy for a better lifestyle and still causing harm to them turning into a lose – lose situation, then there will definitely be a better scenario for a win – win situation. Then, I came up with the idea of producing a safe and sustainable means of energy children, mothers and fathers can use at home and in their businesses without causing harm. This led me to undertake my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability so as to be able to get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university in a developed country; which I started on January 19, 2021. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on a thesis (Analysis of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) – Bendable and Translucent Concrete); that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. I have researched some literature reviews and started carrying out different practicals on this subject matter. My goal from this higher education journey is to ensure that once this type of ECC is readily available and used in building construction, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children lives will not be endangered, save money to low-income households, and help secure their homes (because they can see what is going on outside through their walls and also in situations of earthquake). In addition, it can be used to illuminate highways at night and certain signs and symbols; this will help in saving a lot of accidents at nights and make transportation smooth and seamless.

I can still vividly remember, on February 28, 2020 when the first case of Covid 19 was recorded in Nigeria. Little did I know that it would affect my job; my salary was reduced by 55% in a month. Two months later, knowing I was close to being laid off; and I did not want to end up in a similar fate at a young age with what happened to my family during recession in Nigeria, in the year 2018 (knowing it could break me, despite all my hard work in graduating as the best in Civil Engineering student with a CGPA of 97.8% in 2017) . I sat down and was in deep thought, then I got an inspiration from an official trip I led titled “Clean Energy Workshop for Women Owned SMEs and for Households” on March 6, 2019 in Aba, Abia State, South-Eastern part of Nigeria. I started recalling the reports of some women on how they lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, candle sticks and diesel generators. The particular story that got to me real deep was a child using a candle to study and when he fell asleep in the process of stretching, he kicked the candle and it fell on the rug in the house and it caught fire and that was how he lost his life. Recalling those experiences in that community and the current effect of Covid 19 on my career, it sparked a passion to solve their problems and, in the process, creating a sustainable source of income through entrepreneurship without relying on a monthly salary now or in the near future. Then, I came up with the idea of producing a safe and sustainable means of energy children, mothers and fathers can use at home and in their businesses without causing harm. This led me to undertake my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability so as to be able to get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university in a developed country; which I started on January 19, 2021. Currently, University of New Haven has two compulsory courses at the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering which are Sustainable Engineering and Engineering Entrepreneurship and they perfectly fit my short- and long-term entrepreneurship goals. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on a thesis (Analysis of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) – Bendable and Translucent Concrete); that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. I have researched some literature reviews and started carrying out different practicals on this topic. My goal is to ensure that once this type of ECC is available and used in building construction, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, save money to low-income households, and help secure their homes (because they can see what is going on outside through their walls and also in situations of earthquake). In addition, it can be used to illuminate highways at night and certain signs and symbols; this will help in saving a lot of accidents at nights and make transportation smooth and seamless.

There are key words that still keep ringing in my head as I grew up and they are, “Persistence pays off”, “Size doesn’t Matter”, and “Fear means failure”. All these words are some of the things I learnt from the cartoon series “Tom and Jerry”. It has played a pivotal role in my childhood, provided me with valuable life lessons and as a source of entertainment. In Jerry, we see David, the metaphorical underdog, who somehow always ends up on top, despite his very small size. Jerry was a thinker, fearless and diligent. There have been many times where Tom and Jerry compete against each other. Each time, however, Jerry ends up the winner mostly because he always performs to the best of his ability. I am certain “Tom and Jerry” cartoon series will continue to impact the lives of its viewers, much like it has impacted mine.

I can still vividly remember Prof. John Atseye words of encouragement and challenge towards me, on November 28, 2019 during an official trip I led titled “Clean Energy Workshop for Women Owned SMEs and for Households” in Aba, Abia State, South-Eastern part of Nigeria. During the workshop, Prof. John, gave reports of how some women lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, candle sticks and diesel generators. One of his reports that got to me real deep was a child using a candle to study in the night because there was no light. While he was studying, he fell asleep and in the process of stretching, he kicked the candle which fell on the rug in the house and it caught fire. That was how the child lost his life in the fire incident all because he wanted to study and do well in school. After the workshop, Prof. John met with me and we had a discussion. He got acquainted with my school background and advised me accordingly on ways I could utilize my talent and knowledge in helping this community and others at large. He challenged me that I could do it and secure a scholarship abroad to do more practicals in a developed country at any top university in solving the underlying problem in Nigeria and Africa at Large. Recalling those experiences in that community and my discussions with Prof. John, it sparked a belief that I could further my studies higher and, in the process, to solve their problems. During my thought process, a benefit - cost analysis came to my mind; that if the parents spent their money buying those unclean forms of energy for a better lifestyle and still causing harm to them turning into a lose – lose situation, then there will definitely be a better scenario for a win – win situation. Then, I came up with the idea of producing a safe and sustainable means of energy for children, mothers and fathers to use at home and in their businesses without causing harm. This led me to undertake my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability so as to be able to get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university; which I started on January 19, 2021. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on a thesis (Analysis of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) – Bendable and Translucent Concrete); that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. I have researched some literature reviews and started carrying out different practicals on this subject matter. My goal from this higher education journey is to ensure that once this type of ECC is readily available and used in building construction, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, children lives will not be endangered, save money to low-income households, and help secure their homes (because they can see what is going on outside through their walls and also in situations of earthquake). In addition, it can be used to illuminate highways at night and certain signs and symbols; this will help in saving a lot of accidents at night and make transportation smooth and seamless.

I can still vividly remember, on February 28, 2020 when the first case of Covid 19 was recorded in Nigeria. Little did I know that it would affect my job; my salary was reduced by 55% in a month. Two months later, knowing I was close to being laid off; and I did not want to end up in a similar fate at a young age with what happened to my family during recession in Nigeria, in the year 2018 (knowing it could break me, despite all my hard work in graduating as the best in Civil Engineering student with a CGPA of 97.8% in 2017) . I sat down and was in deep thought, then I got an inspiration from an official trip I led titled “Clean Energy Workshop for Women Owned SMEs and for Households” on March 6, 2019 in Aba, Abia State, South-Eastern part of Nigeria. I started recalling the reports of some women on how they lost their children and had health issues by using various forms of unclean energy like fuel wood, candle sticks and diesel generators. The particular story that got to me real deep was a child using a candle to study and when he fell asleep in the process of stretching, he kicked the candle and it fell on the rug in the house and it caught fire and that was how he lost his life. Recalling those experiences in that community and the current effect of Covid 19 on my career, it sparked a passion to solve their problems and, in the process, creating a sustainable source of income through entrepreneurship without relying on a monthly salary now or in the near future. During my thought process, a benefit - cost analysis came to my mind; that if the parents spent their money buying those unclean forms of energy for a better lifestyle and still causing harm to them turning into a lose – lose situation, then there will definitely be a better scenario for a win – win situation. Then, I came up with the idea of producing a safe and sustainable means of energy children, mothers and fathers can use at home and in their businesses without causing harm. This led me to undertake my masters’ studies in Civil Engineering at the University of New Haven, USA; with a specialty in sustainability so as to be able to get the technical know-how and practical experience in a world class university in a developed country; which I started on January 19, 2021. Currently, University of New Haven has two compulsory courses at the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering which are Sustainable Engineering and Engineering Entrepreneurship and they perfectly fit my short- and long-term entrepreneurship goals. In a bid to get the better of my master’s degree in line with my passion, I started working on a thesis (Analysis of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) – Bendable and Translucent Concrete); that is geared towards reducing cost and increasing sustainability of construction materials, by using natural lighting like sunlight in place of unclean energy. I have researched some literature reviews and started carrying out different practicals on this topic. My goal is to ensure that once this type of ECC is available and used in building construction, women will not have to use the unclean energy in their homes (especially in Africa because of electricity issues); which in turn will protect the health of their family, save money to low-income households, and help secure their homes (because they can see what is going on outside through their walls and also in situations of earthquake). In addition, it can be used to illuminate highways at night and certain signs and symbols; this will help in saving a lot of accidents at nights and make transportation smooth and seamless Overall, my entrepreneurship goal will help save lives, provide sustainable and cost effective impacts to human beings at large in various sectors of life; be it business, education, and transportation.