While Eugenia Ndieze was in high school in Lagos, Nigeria, she was surprised to find that many of the people she looked up to were UL Lafayette alumni.
“I found out that although UL Lafayette was among the most reasonably priced schools in the United States, it had one of the best biology and engineering programs, which impressed me,” Eugenia said. “A lot of my Nigerian folks back home had a lot of good to say about this university, and my research results backed up what they said. The case was settled: I was coming to UL Lafayette.”
Eugenia moved to Lafayette and decided to major in chemical engineering. She found Brandon Plaisance’s Intro to Chemical Engineering (CHEE 101) class affirmed that she made the right choice.
“This course helped strengthen my resolve and removed any doubts I had had in my choice of majors,” she said.
Focusing on the environment
Through the College of Engineering, she also started working as an undergraduate researcher at the Energy Institute of Louisiana (EIL).
“I hold the view that the industrial sector can be made safer for the environment, and although a peculiar route, I believe that chemical engineering holds the key to an eco-friendly industry in the future,” she said. “I hope to better our environment in any way I can, and I believe this is the best major for that.”
Eugenia put her passion for the environment into action by joining the Ragin’ Cajun Sustainability Leaders organization.
“RCSL’s goal is to make UL Lafayette a zero-waste university, which would, in turn, help our environment,” she explained. “We were able to volunteer at UL Lafayette football games and helped with their waste disposal whilst watching the game.”
Outside her major
Outside of her chemical engineering classes, Eugenia also enjoyed Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 110).
“I was always a proponent of the hard sciences and never considered the science of the ‘human mind’ as a real science,” she explained. “However, upon taking this class, I understood the rigors and research psychologists have gone through to provide answers to questions about the human mind. I learned to respect them. Although I still stick with my love for the hard sciences, I’ve learned to respect the social sciences.”
Eugenia says she is grateful for the experience she’s had at UL Lafayette so far.
“My journey through UL Lafayette has made me a more mature and resilient adult,” she said. “My professors have been very kind to me and have helped me through a lot. As an international student who pretty much knew no one at the University when I started here, the friends I’ve made have been a strong support system for me.”
The foundation and support Eugenia found at UL Lafayette have set her up for success in her current and future careers.
“Although I’m still a student here, I’ve been able to navigate my work at Energy Institute of Louisiana (EIL), through the laboratory techniques I learned in my classes as well as lectures,” she said. “I’m far from perfect, but I believe I have become a reliable undergraduate researcher now.”
