At a very young age of 26, it can be said, without fear of contradiction, that Christine Enowmbi Tambe, is a lady who achieved greatness.
In the science world, brilliant intellectual minds like Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Isaac Newton, Ernest Rutherford, Marie Curie, Alfred Nobel, and Jennifer Doudna, have been mentioned over the years. They have been studied and young science enthusiasts encouraged to use them as inspiration to set ambitious standards in their own lives and pursue out-of-the-ordinary aspirations.
But no one has ever hit so close to home than the young Cameroonian lady, Christine Enowmbi Tambe.
Her’s is the story of a person who not only challenged the standards set by great academic minds but also set a benchmark for the next generation. She is one who has earned her place among the role models for young girls in Cameroon in particular, Africa and the world in general.
Christine Enowmbi Tambe has risen to the top of the academic ladder with an astonishing record of only receiving First Class honours throughout her academic career.
Most recently, at the age of 26, she earned a PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
This has been accomplished through years of focus and discipline, giving up youthful pleasures, and a great devotion to serving God. It is a feat that some people might consider impossible. Even though it might be tempting to think that she made things seem simple, it was never that simple.
Enowmbi Tambe has a remarkable list of academic achievements to her credit, which demonstrate her intellect and dedication throughout her academic career.
At the primary education level, while attending Catholic School Buea Station, she was always first of her class. She continued on to Government High School Buea, where she held down the top spot for five years while also earning 10 papers at the GCE Ordinary Level; eight As and two Bs.
She did not seem satisfied with her level of brilliance at the time and was eager to achieve much higher. She eventually went to Saker Baptist College, Limbe, where she had some deserving competition. However, at the 2014 session of the General Certificate of Education, GCE, Advanced Level, Christine Enowmbi Tambe came first in the whole of Cameroon with 5A grades and having the highest average score within the grade ‘A’ boundaries in all her subjects, beating every other student who had 5A grades.
Many described this as a stroke of genius.
After such extraordinary accomplishments, Christine continued her education at the University of Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, on a four-year programme, where she earned a first degree and a master’s degree in Chemical and Energy Engineering with a 1st Class honour.
She seemed to have stopped ascending the ladder and simply flew away. Nonetheless, she recently completed a PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, specialising in electrochemical deposition and electroforming.
Her research interests are in the areas of electroforming of metals and alloys, electrodeposition in deep eutectic solvents, investigations of the effect of additives and corrosion behaviour of materials.
Her academic career has been both inspiring and spectacular.
According to Christine Enowmbi Tambe “working hard was important, but maintaining consistency was much more difficult”.
She says she maintained her commitment to her discipline, despite having restless nights and being exhausted, as well as when she wanted to give up or was not sure of what she was doing.
Christine Enowmbi Tambe has now added her name to the list of luminaries who not only raised the bar for academic achievement but also serve as an example of what is possible when minds are set at goals to be attained.
The dynamic young lady is also an associate member of the Institution of Chemical Engineering, IChemE, and a member of the Institute of Corrosion, ICorr.
She is an Electrochemical Engineer at SHYP, where she is focussing on catalyst/electrode optimisation and characterisation.
Enowmbi Tambe is the daughter of Christopher Tambe Tiku, Board member of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, South West Regional Secretary of Cameroon Human Rights Commission and law lecturer in University of Buea, among other functions.
#guardian post
