Cameroonian student chases a dream, finds it in China

Editor's Note: Pierre Guy Atangana Njock is a Cameroonian with a doctoral degree in civil engineering in the School of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Civil Engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU). He was one of the SJTU Excellent International Post-graduate Students (2021). He has earned numerous awards: an A-class Shanghai Municipal Government Scholarship, best speech at the 2nd "Study in China" Forum for International Doctoral Students, best paper at the GeoShanghai 2018 International Conference, and a 2013-2014 friendship award from Wuhan University of Technology (WHUT).

Fly to China for further education

Njock worked as an engineer in a Cameroonian firm after he received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from a local university in 2012. As a green hand in the labor market, he found that there was very limited space for him to get promoted and that the meager income could not feed his family.

Njock dreamed to have the same professional knowledge and skills as his Chinese counterparts who excelled in the production of high-quality construction drawings. Later, he decided to travel to China and continue with his studies because he wanted to challenge himself in a new environment and learn more about the country and its culture.

In addition, what persuaded Njock to come to China for studies was that he had a friend in Wuhan of Central China's Hubei province and that he had already learned Chinese in a Cameroon-based Confucius Institute for some time.

Njock became an international student majoring in transport science and railway engineering at WHUT in September 2013 and received a master's degree in October 2015.

During Njock's stay in Wuhan, which he considered his second hometown, he often visited local gymnasiums and toured around the city along with his Chinese friends, becoming known to many locals.

Recommended by his academic supervisor at WHUT, Njock found a two-month internship in the Second Highway Planning and Design Institute of China Communication Construction Company, where he learned lots of practical operational techniques and skills.

After graduation from WHUT, Njock chose to pursue a doctoral degree in a move to impart his knowledge to more Cameroonian people in the future. Realizing that he didn't fully master Chinese till that time, he thus came to the School of Humanities at Chongqing Jiaotong University for a one-year training program.

Njock recalled that his Chinese proficiency had reached a new height and that he had passed the HSK-5 Chinese language examination easily before he left Chongqing in 2016. The recipe for his large stride in Chinese was that he always brought a notebook with him, wrote down new words and grasped all opportunities to talk with Chinese people.

He considered Guangzhou in Guangdong province and Shanghai as his next stop.  Quickly, he finalized his choice and arrived at SJTU, where he found peace within himself during his academic learning.

Write a rewarding chapter of life with perseverance and aspire to be excellent

During his stay at SJTU, Njock published four high-level research papers, one of which was selected as the best paper at the GeoShanghai 2018 International Conference, held every four years.

He was also invited to give a keynote speech about his learning and living in China at the 2nd "Study in China" Forum for International Doctoral Students, held in Nanjing of East China's Jiangsu province from Oct 31 to Nov 1 in 2019.

As a representative of international students at SJTU, Njock attended the 16th Conference of Shanghai Students' Federation in December 2016 and the Eight China Satellite Navigation Conference in May 2017.

In addition, he joined the school football team and the   Taekwondo club and visited many other Chinese cities.

Speaking in an interview, Njock said he wanted to be a bridge between China and Africa and promote the implementation of China's Belt and Road Initiative on the continent.

He added that he was very lucky to meet his tutor Shen Shuilong at SJTU, who provided him with professional guidance and huge support in academic learning, the publication of research papers and the attendance of international symposiums.

Right now, the life of Njock in China has become more and more colorful and meaningful because of his unremitting efforts. He said that SJTU and Shen are his valuable assets and revealed that he will focus on the improvement of Chinese proficiency, independent learning, people-to-people exchanges and practical training amid his aspiration for being an outstanding researcher.

When talking about his future, Njock said that he would take academic studies as his primary responsibility, spiritual pursuit, lifestyle, and aspire to lead a rewarding life through relentless efforts in learning.

Strive to be a dream chaser and build a bridge between young Chinese and African people

Njock graduated from SJTU with a doctoral degree in civil engineering this March and realized his dream set before coming to China nearly 10 years ago. He feels that there is more knowledge to be learned.

Not long ago, Njock decided to follow Shen to pursue a postdoctoral degree at Shantou University after the tutor landed a new employment opportunity there.

During the past decade, Njock has accumulated rich experience and skills in solving difficult problems and issues in civil engineering and witnessed the robust development of China. Moreover, He now has a better understanding  of the progress made by the Chinese government in eradicating poverty and building a modern country.

As for his future, Njock is determined to bring what he has learned in China back to his country and Africa as a whole and become a bridge connecting young Chinese people with their African counterparts.