{"id":46390,"date":"2022-07-28T15:53:45","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T20:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/?p=46390"},"modified":"2022-08-17T09:35:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T14:35:29","slug":"bemidji-becomes-home-away-from-home-for-tchuamo-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/2022\/07\/28\/bemidji-becomes-home-away-from-home-for-tchuamo-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Bemidji Becomes Home Away From Home for Tchuamo ’20"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bemidji, Minn. <\/b>– Lyliane Tchuamo, from Cameroon, found a home away from home at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.<\/p>\n

Tchuamo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering from Bemidji State in fall 2020 and currently works as a design engineer at Wanzek Construction<\/i><\/a> in Fargo, North Dakota.<\/p>\n

“I call Bemidji my home in the U.S.,” she said. “I still visit to see friends who became family. My heart has never left Bemidji.”<\/p>\n

After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in plant and animal biology from the University of Buea, in Cameroon, Tchuamo worked for a food processing company. There, she became curious about engineering and spoke to her brother about returning to school to earn another degree.<\/p>\n

“Our search criteria was a college with affordable tuition as an international student, good reviews, a small, tight-knit community, and had the program I wanted. We found Bemidji State,” she said.<\/p>\n

Bemidji’s culture, people and language were new for Tchuamo. The International Program Center<\/a> makes international students transition easier by connecting them to resources at Bemidji State and creating a welcoming community.<\/p>\n

“The IPC organized activities to make international students feel at home,” she said. “We also shared our cultures with the Bemidji community via Festival of Nations, a yearly feast organized by international students.”<\/p>\n

Her department also made Tchuamo feel at home on Bemidji’s campus, with smaller class sizes strengthening relationships with instructors.<\/p>\n

“Faculty made me feel welcome. They knew students by name and where we needed improvements. They were even willing to stay after helping students,” Tchuamo said.<\/p>\n

In addition to her academic success, she found community through involvement in the numerous clubs and organizations available to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ students. She joined the Wood Club and Engineering Club during her last two years, and she served as president of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success through 2018–2019.<\/p>\n

Tchuamo said the support she received during her time at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ makes it easy for her to recommend that other international students consider it when exploring their own educational opportunities.<\/p>\n

“I recommend Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to international students looking to study abroad,” she said. “Everything is put in place to set you up for success. One of the challenges I had was funding my education, but through my department I had academic scholarships.”<\/p>\n

Before Tchuamo graduated, she had a job waiting for her at LaValley Industries in Bemidji. A few months later she was offered a position at Wanzek Construction. Tchuamo believes Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s program put her in position to succeed.<\/p>\n

“The applied engineering program prepared me for most entry-level engineering jobs, not just a specific type,” she said. “I already had a job secured by graduation, and a few months later I was offered a position within a different company.”<\/p>\n

In September 2021, Tchuamo was promoted to design engineer, a job which has her designing solar farms. This work can take the team anywhere from two days to two weeks.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t know I was going to work in renewable energy, I just knew my future job would be in engineering,” Tchuamo said. “Even though I had big plans for myself, I’ve accomplished more than I thought I would at this stage in my life.”<\/p>\n

Contact<\/h2>\n