{"69960":{"#nid":"69960","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Student Spotlight: Adjoa Aka","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAdjoa\nAka, an undergraduate student in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and\nSystems Engineering (ISyE), is volunteering with the Georgia Tech chapter of\nEngineers Without Borders (EWB-GT) in their fundraising efforts as they\nprepare to send a team of students to Cameroon, Africa in December to implement\na clean water distribution system.\u0026nbsp; According to Aka, who is originally\nfrom Togo, a country in West Africa, working with EWB-GT is a way for her to\n\u201cgive back\u201d.\u0026nbsp; When asked what motivates her to give back, she stated that\ngiving back brings her so much joy.\u0026nbsp; Even\nwhen she was in Africa, she tutored children as a way to serve her\ncommunity.\u0026nbsp; According to Aka, Dr. Martin\nLuther King Jr. described it best when he said, \u201cEveryone can be great, because\nanyone can serve\u2026 you only need a heart full of grace.\u0026nbsp; A soul generated\nby love.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAka also\nvolunteers her time to help African refugee families as they adjust to a new\nlife in the United States, specifically encouraging them to further their\neducation.\u0026nbsp; In addition to her volunteer work, Aka is a member of the\nStudent Alumni Association and the African Students Association at Georgia\nTech. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETo learn\nmore about Aka, continue reading the interview that follows.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003E How are you contributing to EWB-GT\u2019s\nfundraising efforts?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; I have been helping the fundraising team on a\nproject to implement a clean water distribution system in Cameroon,\nAfrica.\u0026nbsp; I have been making phone calls\nand distributing information to potential sponsors who may be interested in\nsupporting this trip, and EWB-GT in general.\u0026nbsp;\nGifts in support of this project will assist with travel expenses, as\nwell as the cost of construction for the water distribution system, solar pump,\nand storage tank.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EFor any of our readers who would like to help\nsupport this project, where can they go for more information?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; That would be great!\u0026nbsp; Anyone who wishes to make a donation to the Georgia\nTech Foundation in support of EWB-GT can contact Nancy Sandlin, the director of\ndevelopment for ISyE, at 404-385-7458, or \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:nsandlin@isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ensandlin@isye.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\n\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat have you enjoyed most about working with EWB-GT?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; EWB-GT is 100% run by students.\u0026nbsp; It is amazing that students can take what\nthey learn in class and apply it to such a great cause.\u0026nbsp; For example, Georgia Tech students are\nresponsible for designing the water tank and water distribution system which\nwill be used in Cameroon.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u003Cstrong\u003EHow\ndo you plan to apply what you are learning as an ISyE student to EWB-GT?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; As an industrial engineering student, I plan\non working with the team to offer more efficient and cost effective ways to\nhelp those in need.\u0026nbsp; For example, I can\nuse statistical data to determine how much water a community needs each day, or\nto assist in finding out the probability of disease in the water.\u0026nbsp; I hope to have the opportunity to travel with\nEWB-GT, and work on location.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EWith the strenuous work load from your\nclasses, how do you have time to volunteer?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; It is always easy to find time for things we\nlove.\u0026nbsp; When I have a little free time\naway from my books, I find time to do what I am passionate about.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EWhat motivated you to pursue a degree in\nindustrial engineering?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; I have always known I wanted to be an\nengineer, but I wasn\u2019t sure in what capacity I wanted to pursue this\nfield.\u0026nbsp; My strength lies in mathematics\nand problem-solving.\u0026nbsp; As an industrial\nengineer, I can use my strengths for the good of humanity, helping underprivileged\ncommunities, which is where my passion lies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are your hobbies and interests?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; I enjoy Agbadja, a traditional dance from my\nhome in Togo, and listening to soukousse and zouk music, popular music in African\nculture.\u0026nbsp; I also like to travel and\nexplore other cultures.\u0026nbsp; On my last visit\nto Africa, I visited Benin, my family\u2019s native country, to learn more about my\nheritage.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your favorite thing to do on the Georgia\nTech campus?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; The Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship\n(CCF) is a great place to meet fellow students and make friends here on\ncampus.\u0026nbsp; I enjoy attending the CCF events\nand listening to their guest speakers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EISyE\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you hope to contribute to society,\nmaking the world a better place, as an industrial engineer?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAA:\u0026nbsp; Using my skills as an industrial engineer, I\nhope to work with disadvantaged communities, helping them gain access to such\nbasic needs as clean water, food, and healthcare.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAdjoa Aka, an undergraduate student in the H.\nMilton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), is\nvolunteering with the Georgia Tech chapter of Engineers Without Borders\n(EWB-GT) in their fundraising efforts as they prepare to send a team of\nstudents to Cameroon, Africa in December to implement a clean water\ndistribution system.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27511","created_gmt":"2011-09-12 17:18:53","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:10:09","author":"Ashley Daniel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"69961":{"id":"69961","type":"image","title":"Adjoa Aka (R) and Adam Drozek (L), EWB-GT project leader and civil engineering student, review the group\u0027s water distribution plans for Cameroon.","body":null,"created":"1449177275","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:14:35","changed":"1475894614","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:34","alt":"Adjoa Aka (R) and Adam Drozek (L), EWB-GT project leader and civil engineering student, review the group\u0027s water distribution plans for Cameroon.","file":{"fid":"192872","name":"064.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/064_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/064_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3721819,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/064_0.jpg?itok=Fu9VN8ON"}},"71509":{"id":"71509","type":"image","title":"Adjoa Aka","body":null,"created":"1449177386","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:16:26","changed":"1475894639","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:59","alt":"Adjoa Aka","file":{"fid":"193536","name":"adjoa_dress_1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adjoa_dress_1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adjoa_dress_1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5693066,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adjoa_dress_1_0.jpg?itok=HcRGUT3Z"}}},"media_ids":["69961","71509"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14266","name":"Engineering Without Borders"},{"id":"12385","name":"ewb-gt"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"426","name":"isye"},{"id":"168869","name":"Student Spotlight"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:barbara.christopher@isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBarbara Christopher\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndustrial and Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404.385.3102\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}