POST GRADUATE CIVIL ENGINEERING HONORS STUDENT SHARES HER STORY

It still seems surreal to me that I am a Masters’ graduate, with Honour’s, of Civil Engineering.

When I came to ZUST in the Spring of 2019, I was excited to begin what was going to be another exciting journey. This journey was not going to be without its hiccups, but I was confident that I would be able to meet every problem head on and succeed. However, what I omitted was an old but true saying: “it takes an entire village to raise a child.”

My decision to switch majors in the summer of the same year was quite risky. it meant leaving China and heading back home, if not picked by a supervisor of the department I was transferring to. This was my first taste of a problem whose solution was held in the hands of another.

This is where my Supervisors Prof. Wang and Ass. Prof. Huang found me. They discovered that my bachelor’s thesis was in line with their research direction and as such, I was selected and accepted to be a part of their research group.This was the beginning of the formation of my village.

This research group was more than lecturers and students working together, it was ---and still is--- my family. We held opposing views from time to time, but they still went the extra mile to make sure my experiments and my wellbeing were okay. There were several times when they got up early and stayed up late, helping me set up my experiments and searched various journals to help me do more research.

Summer holiday experiment setting up.

With the help them and of several other lectures, who selflessly took time off their summer holidays to help me with my experiments, I was able to pre-graduate, which was a goal I set for myself, but achieved with their help.

This master’s degree would not have been possible without your help so thank you for making my dreams come true. This Zambian girl won’t ever forget you.

Pictures from our graduation.