Mouhameth Ba’s accent tells the story of two worlds joined together by his hard-earned diploma from Oakland Community College.
Ba arrived in the United States from Senegal in West Africa without knowing how to speak English. He used Google Translate on his phone to ask a woman at the airport for directions to the Greyhound bus.
Fast forward four years, and Ba now speaks English fluently after taking English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at OCC. It wasn’t easy. Ba came to the College during COVID, when classes were held online.
“I learned all my English at OCC,” he said. “The ESL classes helped me with my listening and speaking. Listening was the hardest part because people have different accents and speed.Now, I can have a normal conversation with somebody. When I came here, I couldn’t say anything.”
The 25-year-old will graduate on Saturday, May 17 (which also happens to be his birthday) with three degrees: Associate Degree in Applied Science, Pre-Engineering; Associate Degree in Applied Science, Technological Sciences; and an Associate Degree in Science. He has been accepted to the University of Detroit Mercy and plans to pursue a Bachelor's degree in robotics and mechatronic systems engineering with a concentration in electrical engineering.
Making the transition
Ba lived with his grandmother in Senegal, a country known for its hospitality, or “Teranga.” A year after graduating from high school, he came to the United States to attend college and last year became a permanent resident.
Ba believes the United States offers one of the best educational systems in the world, particularly in engineering. He explained that, in Senegal, learning tends to focus more on memorization than on hands-on experience.
“In my country, the professor did an experiment in the lab and here we do the experiment,” he explained. “That’s what I like most about OCC is the hands-on experience.”
Learning how to do math equations differently and new science vocabulary was challenging, but Ba pushed through it, seeking help from faculty when needed.
OCC Counselor Scott Kokotovich worked with Ba during his time at the College and has been impressed with his work ethic.
"Mouhameth is a great student and an amazing person,” said Kokotovich. “He has successfully navigated the difficulties of a rigorous Pre-Engineering program and the challenges of being an international student, and he has excelled at doing so. Mouhameth has truly been a pleasure to work with, and I wish him the best in his next steps toward becoming an engineer!"
Finding his passion
When Ba enrolled in OCC’s Introduction to Engineering class, he was hooked. He worked with a partner in class to build and program a robot drive. Oftentimes things didn’t work as expected, and they had to troubleshoot – something Ba found that he loves to do.
“Sometimes after we were done, I took a picture of how we programmed it, took everything out and then I would do it all over again,” he laughed.
He’s currently practicing what he loves as an apprentice with CBRE, which supports Amazon’s robotics and material handling systems within fulfillment centers. He hopes to someday return to Senegal and build a company to help student engineers obtain the same skills as those learned in the U.S.
Ba thanks OCC for giving him the self-confidence to pursue his dreams.
“Devotion, determination and discipline, that’s all you need to succeed at OCC,” he said. “OCC has everything a student needs.”
About OCC
Oakland Community College offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs with resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training and expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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