Christiana Tembo
Quick Facts
Age: 21
B.S., cum laude, Electrical Engineering, 2021
Electrical Engineer, Stryker
“I want to break the stereotypes and misconceptions people have about women in the STEM field.”
Notable: First-generation student, International student; Additional languages: French and Lingala
Civility Research Project: Child Labor in Congo: The Exploitation of Children in Coltan Mining Sites in Response to the Increase in Worldwide Demand for New Technologies
Transfer Institution: Bellevue College, Associate of Science, 2019
Service & Work:
Volunteer, KiloWatts for Humanity, 2020 – Present
Bellevue College Student Programs, Peer Leadership Coordinator, 2017–2019
Bellevue College Peer to Peer, Volunteer, 2016–2018
Board Member, New Young Congolese Scholars, 2016–Present
Awards & Honors:
Mission Award for Diversity, 2021
Poder Award – Leadership & Action, SU Office of Multicultural Affairs, 2021
Building Bridges Award, SU Office of Multicultural Affairs, 2021
President, National Society of Black Engineers at Seattle University, 2020 – 2021
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer, S.U. College of Science and Engineering, 2020–2021
Member, Tau Sigma Honor Society
Alfie Scholars Cohort 2019
Messina Scholarship 2019
Bannan Scholars Enrichment Program, 2019
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, 2016–2019
Christiana’s Story
I grew up in a small village in the west part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo called Muanda with my parents, both of my sisters and my brother. The only image I have of women in Muanda is when they were getting ready for weddings, cooking for food at the New Year’s Eve party or selling vegetables at the farmer’s market. During my seventeen years in Muanda, I have never seen a girl finish high school nor go to college. While many women in my family surrendered their dreams because of societal pressure,for me, it was a source of motivation to achieve them.
From a very young age, I was fascinated with mathematics, physics and chemistry. Still, it was unclear whether my passions would afford the opportunity for me to finish high school, let alone to attend university. I was a little girl living in a society where sciences were exclusive majors reserved for men.
Indeed, when I did my first professional internship in a power energy company at the age of 13, the first words I heard from one of the engineers were “Hi, young girl. Do you know how to cook fufu?” (Fufu is a famous dish in my country). “No, I do not”, I replied. “So then what are you doing here? You should be at home learning how to cook.” Although hearing these unpleasant words was intimidating, I knew I should not let them get in the way of me achieving my dream of being the first woman engineer from
Muanda. Approximately five years after that incident, I graduated from high school with honors and got the opportunity to study abroad in the United States.
I reached the US in the fall of 2016, scared but also excited about the opportunities that I was going to discover. Even if I felt insecure about myself because of the language barrier, I found a more understanding culture in the US where I did not have to apologize for loving school or sciences. Coming in the US made me realize my country’s limitations about women’s education. In my opinion, women’s education goes beyond sending women to school. It means having women feel safe in their educational environment, being able to be leaders in their field and most importantly making decisions for their own lives. I know that I am privileged to have the opportunity to pursue my education, and I will do everything in my power to bring about change in the mentalities. I came to the U.S. as a Congolese girl with a dream to become an engineer and go back to inspire women in Congo, but today I feel more like a global citizen who is ready to motivate and inspire young women around the world.
I want to be the role model I wish I had had when I was younger.
Goals:
My goal is to advocate for women all over the world by encouraging them to be a better version of
themselves.I want to break the stereotypes and misconceptions people have about women in the
STEM field. To do so, I plan to gain more experience by working in a power-systems engineering firm
in the US. My long-term goal is to go back to my country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and be the first person to develop nuclear energy.
On Civility:
Civility is more complex than politeness or courtesy. Being civil means being able to agree to disagree, in other words, understanding someone else’s perspective in order to find common ground. Civility also means treating others not only as you want to be treated, but also as you would treat any members of your family. Civility is recognizing our shared humanity and realizing that we all are part of the human family. Finally, in order to practice civility in the world, we should learn how to be civil with ourselves first.
