I grew up in Douala, Cameroon, and lived there with my grandfather, Moise, until I won a visa lottery to come to America on my 23rd birthday. Shortly after my arrival, I joined the Air Force and went through basic training for 3½ months. I’m now helping provide needed infrastructure in the Force Support Squadron and love serving in the military. But I also knew that in order to achieve my goal of becoming an electrical engineer I would have to return to school. My supervisor in the Air Force, Master Sgt. Metcalf, told me about the TRiO program at CCA, and I enrolled at the college in Spring 2013, initially to improve my language skills in the ESL program. Now, I am taking college-level courses in subjects like Calculus and Chemistry and making strong progress towards my goals, which I hope will include a future transfer to either the University of Colorado or Colorado School of Mines. The advice and guidance I’ve received from my advisor, Nnena, has been pivotal in my development, and I wouldn’t have made it this far without the support that she has provided. My hope is that not only will I one day have the required degree and skills to repair airplanes, but have the necessary training to go back to Cameroon and help them install alternative energy sources, given the substantial costs of electricity there. I would like to thank my Colorado sponsors, Hermine and Julien, for giving me the opportunity and support necessary to come this far.