Alumni
Mariah Ichakpa
Alumna, International College Robert Gordon University
Mariah studied with Navitas at the International College Robert Gordon University (ICRGU) located in Aberdeen, Scotland, and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Offshore Engineering from our university partner, Robert Gordon University.
Today Mariah is completing a PhD while working full-time as a Project Engineer. She was also recently elected as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where she serves and represents the voice of young people in the Parliament.
“The one piece of advice I would have for any young person is to seize every opportunity that comes their way, because you never know where it could lead. I never thought I could achieve half the things I’m doing today, but thankfully I was bold enough to seize opportunities that came my way, and they have afforded me some of the most valuable experiences of my life today.”
Transcript
I was also recently elected as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where I serve and represent the voice of young people in the Parliament. And it’s been a very interesting journey.
Hi, my name is Mariah Ichakpa and I studied Mechanical Industrial Engineering at the International College of Robert Gordon University in the year 2016.
One of my favourite memories during my time at ICRGU was the sense of community and having friends and people I met at the College make me feel less lonely and make me feel like I had community to rely on when I had moved away from home to this new country to study.
Studying at ICRGU has impacted my life in tremendous ways, one of which being helping me to find my identity as a person. I was away from home for the very first time and had to fend for myself, figure out my interests, my dislikes, make friends without the influence of having others sort of influence and giving you, like, whispering in your ears what to do, what not to do and all of that.
And I have found so much about myself. I have learned. I’ve grown as a person, found my hobbies, found a new passion for cooking and now I cook! Prior to coming to ICRGU I never cooked a meal at home. But having to now leave home for the first time and be by myself and figure out life, and now I enjoy doing the things I didn’t know there was a chance for me to do before studying at ICRGU.
In addition to that as well, made me grow in my identity and gave me a voice, made me come out of the shell that I had and the layer of protection that I had to then realise what I could achieve. And, it’s been the foundation of my journey and my growth as an adult.
Since graduating with my degree from Robert Gordon University, I went into study more, further my studies, and started a PhD, which is going great. I also got employed. I’m working full-time as a project engineer currently.
I was also recently elected as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where I serve and represent the voice of young people in the Parliament. And it’s been a very interesting journey because many of these possibilities I never saw at the start of the journey. So, seeing how far the journey has progressed and where it’s come to today is just a full circle.
The one big advice I would have for any young person is to seize every opportunity that comes your way because you never know what could lead to what. So, you’re still young, there’s still many opportunities coming through. Don’t know if it’s your interest, seize as many opportunities, and try out new things. Be open minded, and also, always ask for help when you need it.
The world is your oyster, is what I like to say and don’t limit yourself in a box. I never thought I could achieve half the things I’m doing just now, but thankfully I was bold enough to seize these opportunities and they have afforded me some of the most invaluable experiences of my life today.