From Gashora to Korea: a Biomedical Journey
"At GGAST, we were raised into young leaders. That was a crucial part of my upbringing. I was encouraged to fully immerse myself in the learning process. One of the most important things I gained that has played a role in making me who I am today, is to take responsibility and initiative without waiting for an opportunity to be presented to me. This gave me the confidence to ask for help and express myself to professors, which greatly influenced how I got my undergraduate internship."
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Mpuhwe Nelly Aimelyne, and I graduated from GGAST in 2017, where I majored in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. I love exercising and reading novels in my free time, which is a hobby I started at GGAST; I loved reading novels and exchanging books with my friends in high school.
You just graduated from Korea University a few weeks ago! Congratulations. Tell us how you ended up there, what you studied, and why you chose your field.
At GGAST, I participated in healthcare-related extra-curricular activities like Dear Doctor Rwanda, which inspired most of my passion for the healthcare industry. At the same time, I loved watching Korean entertainment. I participated in the Korean embassy events, during which I learned about the Korean Governmental Scholarship awarded to one Rwandan every year.
I chose Biomedical engineering because it combines most of my favorite subjects. I have always been passionate and curious about medical devices and related technologies. After participating in an internship during high school at a Rwandan hospital, one of my goals has been to contribute to developing the biomedical engineering field in Rwanda.
How was your adjustment to life in korea?
My biggest challenges were adjusting to the food because they eat a lot of spicy foods and of course, the language barrier. However, since I came to South Korea under the Korean Governmental Scholarship program, I was provided one year of Korean language, and it was mandatory to obtain TOPIK level 3 to be able to start university courses. The highest level is Level 6, and I received Level 4 at the end of my first year and began my undergraduate courses. I am proud to say I am now a TOPIK Level 5.
How did your experience and the environment at Gashora help shape your academic and personal growth during your college years and prepare you for success?
The values instilled in me at Gashora have continued to shape my approach to life, even in college. As a student at one of South Korea's competitive universities, the work ethic I was taught at GGAST to be in charge of my learning has helped me excel academically.
The emphasis on extracurricular activities at Gashora significantly shaped me into an active person in my community. It equipped me with the necessary skills to prepare me for my university. Serving as the vice president of the Dear Doctor Rwanda club and being part of the Global Give Back Circle (GGBC) were transformative experiences that allowed me to start an internship at Byumba Hospital. This initiative contributed to my knowledge and served as a means of personal growth and giving back to my community.
Additionally, programs like the Science Fair at GGAST gave me a platform to be creative and delve into my passions. I presented a project at GGAST about artificial artery solutions for heart diseases and looking back; this has shaped me into who I am today. Now that I am researching biomaterials, I look back to all my high school activities and science fair projects and see that they have greatly fueled my passion for biomedical engineering.
Can you share a significant project or research experience from college that has impacted your personal and professional development?
In my second year at university, I was second-guessing and wondering how I ended up in my major. The courses in biomedical engineering can be challenging because they comprise every engineering field. For example, we took electrical circuits, programming, anatomy, and mathematics courses. During the last semester of my second year, I took a biomaterials class and found it very interesting. The biomaterials field encompasses developing bio-compatible materials that could be implanted in the human body or used on the human body. I talked to the professor of that class and expressed my interest in his lab, which he invited me to join. This internship was the turning point of my undergraduate program because it allowed me to work hands-on on the theoretical concepts I was learning in my classes and helped me re-ignite my passion. I worked on projects to make 3D-printed dental implants and bone fillers, which is fascinating.
What is a highlight from your college experience?
At Korea University, we have a large international community, but for most academic years, I was the only Rwandan student. I was asked to work at the Korean General Immigration office as an interpreter from Kinyarwanda to English or Korean. I was invited by either the immigration office or the Supreme Court to stand in as the official interpreter for extended interviews and court sessions. This is one of the highlights of my undergraduate degree.
"I presented my undergraduate research project about a novel technique for characterizing Alumina dental implants by applying two-step sintering techniques at the global conference on Innovation materials. It is a conference that gathers engineers, companies, scientists, and professors from various parts of the world who work on different materials, i.e, biomaterials, energy materials, etc. It was an intriguing experience to talk about my research to renowned professors, companies, and researchers, and I learned a lot."
You are now beginning graduate school at Korea University! What are your hopes for this time? How do you envision leveraging your experiences to contribute to your future career aspirations?
At Korea University, I will be doing my master's program in Biomedical Engineering and working as a teaching assistant for the biomaterials course. With the help of my professor and lab mates, I hope to produce meaningful work on my hydrogel development project and other projects. My research will contribute to developing solutions for the health industry worldwide, especially in my country, Rwanda. My knowledge has shown me that introducing new health methods in Rwanda is not a complex process. Therefore, the skills I will learn from South Korea will also benefit Rwanda's healthcare industry.
