In America, With an Eye on Home
Woodruff School student and Dean’s Scholar Gideon Ndeh can financially support himself while assisting his family in war-torn Cameroon
September 27, 2022
By Jason Maderer
When Gideon Ndeh was in grade school, he would come home, drop his backpack, and begin a five-mile walk. He and his brother would head to the family farm, where the boys would harvest crops to pay for school fees, books, and household essentials.
After working for a few hours and walking five miles back home, they would crawl into their grandmother’s uncomfortable bed in the middle of the kitchen. The brothers would fall asleep inhaling smoke from the smoldering, burning wood that cooked dinner.
“Although we grew up poor, I gained several precious memories that humbled me and helped me realize the importance of building a community,” Ndeh said.
Life changed in 2008 when Ndeh was 7 years old. His father, Michael, won a visa lottery to leave their village in western Cameroon and moved his family to Maryland the next year.
Ndeh would eventually enroll at Morehouse College, participating in the Dual Degree Engineering Program (DDEP), which allowed him to attend any of Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering programs after three years at Morehouse.
“I didn’t even know that Morehouse partnered with Georgia Tech until I started classes,” Ndeh said. “And engineering wasn’t the plan. When I was filling out some forms about my major, I couldn’t find ‘undecided,’ so I clicked ‘engineering.’”
Ndeh as a child with his father and brother in Cameroon
Ndeh with his father and brother
College
Even if engineering wasn’t, college always was part of Ndeh’s long-term plan: his father had long stressed its necessity. But higher education had always introduced economic uncertainty: Ndeh paid for Morehouse with a series of loans and scholarships. He wasn’t sure how to cover Georgia Tech’s tuition as he prepared for his transfer.
In the fall of 2021, months before he would enroll at Georgia Tech, Ndeh found an ally in Felicia Benton-Johnson, director of the Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED), which leads the DDEP program. After meeting Ndeh at an on-campus event for Atlanta University Center Consortium students transferring to Tech, Benton-Johnson helped Ndeh identify scholarship opportunities and introduced him to CEED’s other services for students, including mentoring and tutoring.
“Gideon is humble, hard-working, and always wants the best for those around him,” Benton-Johnson said. “This is evident in his role as a CEED student assistant, where he helps with student program development and brings a fresh perspective to our initiatives. Gideon is a warm, dedicated person who I know will achieve great things. I’m proud that CEED is his family now and forever."
Ndeh works as a CEED student assistant with Felicia Benton-Johnson
Soon, Ndeh was named a Provost Scholar, reducing his tuition to the in-state rate. Ndeh had closed the financial gap enough to enroll in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering in January 2022.
He knew the funds wouldn’t be enough to get him through his entire Georgia Tech career. He hoped for the same luck his father found in 2008.
“It was a financial risk coming here, because taking out more unsubsidized or subsidized loans still wouldn’t be enough,” Ndeh said. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for my education, but I’ve always found that it’s easier to find opportunities while enrolled. So, I took a chance and kept applying for scholarships.”
It was the one that he didn’t seek that has made the difference.
An email out of nowhere
This July, with a clear plan still unknown, Ndeh received an out-of-the-blue email from Lauren Morton, academic program manager for the College of Engineering’s Dean’s Scholars Program. Ndeh had been selected as a Scholar, which meant $10,000 in tuition support for the next two years.
“I thought the email was a scam because I’d never heard of the Dean’s Scholars. I hadn’t applied. I hadn’t asked for anything,” he said.
It was no scam, and this semester he’s one of nine new Deans Scholars, bringing the College’s total to 19. Each student receives $10,000 per year and a one-time $2,000 enrichment stipend. The group also receives professional development and academic advising opportunities.
“Gideon was selected because he demonstrates all of the characteristics of a successful Georgia Tech student — academic excellence, a sense of broader impact to his community, empathy for others, and extreme resilience and grit,” said David Torello, who leads the Dean’s Scholars Program. “Ultimately, I hope that he develops his already strong skillset in academics and societal awareness and impact. He recognizes the impact of this gift. I want him to use it to its fullest advantage to come out of Tech like a rocket and start accomplishing his goals and dreams at an accelerated pace, while also feeling safe to explore his passions and projects.”
The Dean’s Scholars Program has lifted the financial stress from Ndeh’s shoulders, while also allowing him to think beyond campus. He’s weighing the opportunity to study abroad at Georgia Tech-Lorraine in the spring. But his biggest dreams remain focused on his home city of Bemenda. A civil war has crippled Cameroon since 2017. Ndeh hasn’t traveled back to see his mom and siblings in 11 years.
“The pursuit of my mechanical engineering degree is rooted in something much bigger than myself,” he said. “Studying at Georgia Tech allows me to access additional experience and development in my field. Moreover, I will be able to pour back into my village, equipping them with the knowledge and self-sufficiency to sustain continuous improvement.”
Ndeh said he and his youngest brother, Belafort, who attends the University of Baltimore, hope someday to establish a nonprofit company to assist their hometown. Ndeh also plans to use the skills learned in the Woodruff School to teach an older brother — a self-taught engineer — who remains in Cameroon.
In the meantime, Ndeh, his brother, and their father have already worked together to fill and ship two crates back to Cameroon to help the family. They’ve sent tables, chairs, refrigerators, toilets, and more. They’re now searching for a bulldozer.
“If I was still in Cameroon, I would probably be dead; many people my age are dying in the war,” the 22-year-old said. “When I left for America, I knew that I would have to return because I need to improve the conditions in my village.
“The College of Engineering, CEED, and the Dean’s Scholars Program have opened a lot of doors for me. I’m able to financially take care of myself here while helping my family in Africa,” Ndeh continued. “Plus, the connections I’m making on campus will help me build something in the future. Although I cannot provide everyone in the world with the resources they need, I can play a role in finding more efficient ways to make resources affordable and help provide opportunities for people to make a living for themselves.”
The Dean’s Scholars Program is funded by individual philanthropic gifts from alumni and campus partners. From these gifts, the College is building an endowment fund that will annually support a minimum of one incoming member from each of the College’s eight schools, creating a cohort of students that will grow and learn together.