First generation University of Arizona senior Nkengafac Njungeh has been planning to study abroad since she started at the University. Every meeting with each of her three advisors included a review of not only her required classes to graduate, but also a discussion of when she would study abroad and how she would fit all the credits she needed to graduate with a triple major and a minor. She changed and added majors and a minor during college but studying abroad was the immovable piece of her undergraduate plans; until she had to re-plan her entire senior year of college!
Nkengafac, who goes my Nkeng (pronounced “ing’kaeng”), is no stranger to changing life course though. Her name, Nkengafac, means “born after twins”. Nkeng was born in Cameroon, the third child born after her elder twin brothers. Nkeng grew up in Cameroon, enjoying spending time with extended family in several locations in Cameroon. Her parents were both teachers in Cameroon, her father a biology teacher. “My parents are very supportive of education and encouraging all their children to get an education.”
When Nkeng was 10 years old, her father and mother moved to the US arriving in Tucson because one of her father’s best friends lived in Tucson. Her parents spent a year in Tucson and then brought their children to Tucson.
Ngkeng said when she lived in Cameroon she was very outgoing and talked to a lot people, though when she arrived in the US “I was very shy.” As she settled into her new life in the US, Ngkeng made a lot of friends and enjoyed school. It was in middle school that Nkeng’s love of science was quite literally sparked! “In middle school my 8th grade science teacher started class by lighting a can on fire and from then on I was interested in science. He introduced us to numerous different uses of science from forensic analysis to frog dissection.” Around this time, she set the course of her future studies and determined that she wanted to be a doctor.
Nkeng chose the University of Arizona for several reasons; she knew she wanted to go to medical school and knew the University has a good medical school. “I wanted to stay in state for the reduced tuition. I have younger siblings and I wanted to save money and not have student loans. UArizona is close to home so I can spend time with my family while going to school.”
Choosing her majors and minor was “a long process of figuring out what I wanted to do!” Nkeng told me. “I first chose biology because my father used to be a biology teacher but he wanted me to do chemistry; we finally compromised on biochemsitry!'I was ok with that because I was scared to be a chemistry major!” As she proceeded in her coursework, she realized she really liked her Biochemistry and MCB classes. “I didn’t want to have to choose between the two, so I added them both as a major!” Because she was interested in language classes, Nkeng had taken four Korean language classes, Ngkeng and her advisors realized that she could also add Korean Language as a minor and have a third major in East Asian studies. In the fall of 2019, Nkeng was accepted into a study abroad program and was excited to start planning her study abroad in South Korea. Her plans were falling into place! And then the COVID-19 pandemic came early in 2020 and the plans Nkeng had put in place were looking less possible. By May of 2020 Nkeng had cancelled her study abroad and met with all her advisors again to ensure she had all her pre-med requirements in place and had all the classes she needed for her majors and minor. She realized by fall of 2020 that she would be able to graduate in the summer of 2021.
Nkeng’s optimism and enthusiasm carried her through the re-planning of her course schedule and graduation and her re-visioning of her travels abroad. Not to be deterred from pursuing her dream of traveling to Korea, she is now planning to start traveling in fall of 2021. “It will be even better because I don’t have to study when I’m traveling now, I can travel and have fun without having to worry about studying!” Ngkeng plans to travel to Korea, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam once she graduates and use the gap year to apply to medical school.
As she nears graduation, Nkeng reflects on her best experiences at the University. “I definitely enjoy my science classes, especially my o-chem labs due to the interesting reactions that I could produce, but some of my best experiences happened in the Korean departments' table clubs because most of my friends were in that club with me and we had fun joking and talking in another language.”
While she appreciates all the science, language and culturale knowledge she’s acquired through her majors and minor she told me that the skill she learned that will help her most doesn’t have anything to do with science! “A skill that I've learned and will definitely be useful when I graduate is organization and making schedules/plans. Even if I don't stick to it all the time, it keeps me up to date on what I need to accomplish and the goals that I've set for myself.”
When she isn’t keeping up with studying, Nkeng enjoys hanging out with her family and friends. “I enjoy cooking food from different cuisines, singing and dancing to loud music with my siblings, watching television shows from different countries and anime. I also love reading, especially fiction and fanfiction, to the point that I would consider it my addiction since I can't go one day without reading a story.”
We can’t wait to hear about your travels Nkeng and hope to see photos and videos of you singing and dancing your way through Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan!