A 19-year-old Nigerian student, Kamdi Lee Okeke, has joined the United States of America (USA) National Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi (TBP).
The Pennsylvania chapter of the society, through a letter dated April 5, 2024, signed by Anupam Mishra and Chris Melag, the President and Secretary, respectively, invited Kamdi to join the society because of his distinguished scholarship evidenced by a history of academic achievement and exemplary character of personal and professional integrity as a student in Engineering in Drexel University.
The Society, founded on June 15, 1885, (commonly referred to as Tau Beta Pi) is the oldest engineering honour society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honours engineering students in American universities, who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity. Specifically, the Society was founded “to mark in a fitting manner those who have conferred honour upon their Alma Mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as students in engineering, or by their attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges”.
Tau Beta Pi not only recognises men and women of high scholastic achievement, but, also, the work of its members in the larger community.
Membership of the society is beneficial in so many ways. Deserving members are awarded scholarships and fellowships annually. Membership benefits also include student and professional career assistance, connecting members with a network of professionals and students that span the United States of America. Distinguished members of the association include Jeff Bezos, Buzz Aldrin, Michael R. Bloomberg and many more.
On account of his outstanding academic performance, Kamdi has been in Dean’s list of Drexel University since his enrolment in the winter quarter of 2021. Before he left for overseas, he was a youth advocate involved in public/community work in Nigeria. At the peak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, he led a volunteer group of teenage students who produced over 2000 protective face-shields, distributed to health workers in different hospitals to arrest the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in his home state of Enugu, Nigeria.
