Jean Tchinda tells his five daughters not to put limits on their goals, and the 48-year-old University of Texas at Dallas electrical engineering senior hopes they will learn from his example.
Five years ago, Tchinda (pronounced “Chin-da”) and his family moved to North Texas from Cameroon in Central Africa for better opportunities. Since then, Tchinda has learned English, navigated life in a new country, become a U.S. citizen, completed an associate’s degree at Richland College and will soon graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UT Dallas — all while working a full-time job overnight.
On Dec. 18, Tchinda will be recognized with his classmates from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science during fall commencement ceremonies. Walking across the stage at commencement will mark a milestone in a journey that has taken him across the world and beyond his dreams. Tchinda, who speaks French, said he was discouraged at times as he worked to learn English as well as solve difficult engineering problems for his classes.
“Some people told me, ‘You cannot go to UTD because it’s such a challenging college,’” he said. “I want to show that everything is possible. Never give up. You just need to work hard.”
Balancing school, work, and his responsibilities as a father and a husband required a lot of hard work and extraordinary organizational skills. Tchinda said he works from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. as a maintenance technician at an aerospace company. After work, he sleeps for two hours. Then, he heads to campus for classes and to work on his UTDesign Capstone project. In the late afternoon, he gets a little more sleep before doing homework from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and then going to his job. Between it all, he pitches in with rides for his daughters and parent-teacher conferences.
Tchinda said one of the keys to his success was to meet with his professors and to be unafraid to ask for help. He also sought help with his resume and interview skills from the University Career Center as he looks to begin his engineering career.
“At UTD, you can get everything you want,” Tchinda said. “They have amazing support.”
Given Tchinda’s crammed schedule, he could not attend the office hours for his Introduction to Wireless Communications course this fall. So Dr. Mohammad Saquib, professor of electrical engineering, met with him after class instead. Saquib said despite Tchinda’s concerns about certain assignments, he always did well.
Fall 2023 Commencement
Parking maps (Activity Center and the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Lecture Hall ceremonies
“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Saquib said. “If I were an employer, he’s a student I would hire.”
Dr. Rosana Melendez, electrical and computer engineering lecturer, said Tchinda was a top student this fall in her systems and controls class.
“Mr. Tchinda demonstrated such dedication to learn new concepts for future application in his career,” she said. “His example of hard work serves as an inspiration for many other students who face similar challenges. I am happy that he has achieved this new milestone now of becoming an electrical engineer.”
He also has been an inspiration to his family.
“The best way to teach kids is to show the example. Every day, they see me work hard,” Tchinda said. “When my kids say something is impossible, that they cannot do that, I say ‘If I can do it, you can also do it.”’
Tchinda’s oldest daughter, Andrea, excelled at Hillcrest High School in Dallas and received a full scholarship to Harvard University. She is completing her first semester at Harvard, where she is a computer science major.
Andrea and the rest of Tchinda’s family will be there to cheer him on at commencement.
“I never believed I was going to get a bachelor’s degree in my life,” Tchinda said. “For me it means a lot. I want always to show to my children, everybody around me, that you can do whatever you want. Just try.”
Class of 2023 Facts and Figures
More than 3,200 students, including summer graduates, are expected to participate in the 10 school commencement ceremonies and the doctoral hooding this fall.
A total of 1,822 bachelor’s, 1,068 master’s and 98 doctoral degrees are expected to be awarded by UT Dallas this fall. Summer and fall graduates also can join next spring’s graduates at University Commencement, which will be held Friday, May 10.
The summer and fall class of 2023 represents:
33 U.S. states
42 countries
63 Texas counties
Most popular degrees
Bachelor’s: computer science; psychology; information technology systems; arts, technology, and emerging communication; biology
Master’s: business analytics; information technology and management; computer science; Master of Business Administration; supply chain management
Doctoral: electrical engineering; chemistry; biomedical engineering; mechanical engineering; molecular and cell biology
Ages
Oldest graduate: 86
Youngest graduate: 18
Other numbers
Percentage of undergraduate first-generation graduates: 22%
Percentage of international graduates (bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral): 26%
Percentage of undergraduate graduates who started as transfer students: 48%
Commencement Student Speakers
Juliana Acosta BS’18 |
Amri Carrasco |
Dedric Joubert II |
Anvita Kashyap |
Samrah Khan |
Anisha Manvatkar |
Kira Mills |
Karyne Kim Nguyen BA’10 |
Kenny Nonso-Anyakwo |
Kayla Nygaard |
Eberechukwu Ojinnaka |
Alvoid Scott III |