Amongst several post-college opportunities out there, Otema Stephanie Adu ’09 decided to pursue a Master’s Program in chemical engineering at Aalborg University in Esberg, Denmark. The MH News interviewed this budding chemical engineer on life, work and future aspirations.
Q: What was your experience like at Mount Holyoke?
A: My time at Mount Holyoke was inspiring and certainly a learning experience and a stepping stone to where I am today. I truly evolved at Mount Holyoke and was able to “find myself.” There are so many qualities and skills I picked up being at Mount Holyoke, all the way from public speaking skills to learning how to be a good co-chair/social chair for MHACASA. My experience would not have been as great without the support and encouragement of my amazing professors and African sisters. To say that they were a source of joy and encouragement is an understatement. I certainly thrived because of this.
Q: How did that prepare you to study abroad?
A: At Mount Holyoke, I really improved my communication skills. Not only when it came to speaking up in class, but also interacting with people in general. Denmark is not a chiefly English speaking country, though my classes are taught in English. The diversity at Mount Holyoke helped me a great deal in this aspect. Since most of the projects here are done in groups, I came loaded with leadership and teamwork qualities that have taken me a long way.
Q: If you could return to Mount Holyoke, what is one thing you would like to do?
A: I feel one of the things that really helped me whilst I was a student at Mount Holyoke was when alums would come back and speak to us on things they were doing and how their lives had turned out. It was really a source of encouragement and helped fuel my interests and desire to succeed. So, I would love to come back and talk to students so as to inject in them the same drive and passion that I got from my fellow alums. Of course, I would also like to catch up with the awesome professors who played such a big role in shaping my forthcoming career.
Q:What is a typical day in your life as a masters student/professional worker abroad?
A:Work, work and more work! :) There are morning and afternoon sessions here at Aalborg University. Each session is about three and a half hours long. So, typically, for a day when I have both morning and afternoon classes, I would wake up and head out for my 8:15 a.m. class. If it’s a nice day, I would ride my bike, a 15-minute ride to the university. If not, I would take the six-minute bus ride. Then there is class till lunch time after which my afternoon session runs till 4 p.m. At Aalborg, the classes are only on a pass-fail basis. The most important part of the semester and your grade is the lab/project research work. At the end of each semester, the group must come up with a project report that will be defended (much like a thesis defense). The rest of my day is usually spent in the lab or with the group and/or supervisor deciding how to go about writing the report or how to handle the next experiment. After that, there is little time for anything else except eating and sleeping.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your city?
A: Very hard question. Esberg is an extremely small town. I would say, I do like the fact that we are so close to the beach. There are these monuments called Man Meets The Sea, relatively close to where I live, right by the beach. These huge, white concrete, 27-feet-tall sculptures were designed by Svend Wiig Hansen and installed in 1995. It is pretty much the tourist site here: many people visit it and take pictures. When the weather is good, the beach is a really nice place to go and relax.
Q: What is the next step for you?
A: This summer, I will be going home and, God-willing, working at a petroleum company, so that would give me great work experience and help me zone in on what I really want to do. My immediate plan after graduation in 2011 would be to go back home and work. I may, however, also take a year or two to work in the U.S. or England to gain more experience. But certainly, doing my PhD before I am 30 is the plan!
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