Pecos Nkongo Essobo

My name is Pecos Nkongo Essobo and I was born on 3/6/1987 in Cameroon. I am one of seven children (four girls and three boys). My father was a teacher in Douala, a larger city near Jaunde (capital of Cameroon). My mother took care of all of us at home. All of my siblings went to school and earned their school leaving certificates giving right of entry to higher education.

I had always wished for an opportunity to study in Europe. My family saved up money and I was able to enrol at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences after successfully completing a German course at the preparatory college in Karlsruhe.

I have been studying at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences now since 2010, first majoring in process and environmental engineering, now in production and process management.

Since my school leaving certificate giving right of entry to higher education had focused on “cooling and air conditioning engineering”, I first enrolled in the process and environmental engineering degree programme. Later I changed my major to production and process management, because I heard about the Lernfabrik (Learning Factory) during my 6th semester. The Lernfabrik offers an interesting possibility for designing a product from planning all the way to market launch – like having a small firm with planning/design/marketing departments, etc.

Lots of aspects of life that are a matter of course in Germany, such as waste recycling or concern for the environment, have not even been initiated in my country. I want to help with this issue as an entrepreneur in the future.

I enjoy my studies here at the higher education institution very much, although I did have to learn that order and focus would let me achieve my goals a lot faster than just living for the moment. I do have contacts with peers from my home country here, and I am thrilled about the many opportunities for living together here in Germany. Amongst ourselves, we speak both German and French (my mother tongue).

By helping to organise and shape the International Week for the 50-year anniversary, the higher education institution became an international meeting point for me. I live in a mixed sex dormitory and work on the side whenever my studies permit it.

Last year (2016), fate struck me a heavy blow and threw my life off track. I couldn’t even think about studying any more. My head was not free to absorb what I was learning.

Both my parents suddenly fell very ill, my mother had lung cancer and died very quickly, my father had a heart attack. Suddenly, I no longer had any financial support here in Germany. My stay here is limited to 10 standard periods of study, after that I have to return to my home country.

As a result of these sad events, I was also suddenly responsible for my two brothers and had to get them out of the crisis area of my home country and to Belgium to live with relatives. We needed to shelter them there because my parents could no longer protect them and they were politically persecuted at home.

The counselling service of Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences supported me with counselling sessions, but the financial emergency fund of Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences could only provide a one-time “meal ticket” for the student restaurant and a plane ticket to fly home for the funeral. All efforts by the scholarship officer of the Faculty for Technical Processes to find sponsors for me who could help quickly and easily were unsuccessful.

Because of my parents’ death, I needed immediate help as I had been living “hand to mouth” for a year already. I could not go on like this. Under these circumstances, I had no strength for my academic studies. Also, my residence permit for Germany expires in 2020, and I now had to complete my academic studies at Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences in two semesters.

That’s when I heard about the emergency fund of the DAAD Foundation. Thanks to their quick and uncomplicated, yet individual support, I was able to overcome my emergency situation and get back on my feet.

I was able to successfully complete my practical semester and the Lernfabrik, and after writing my bachelor's thesis I will return to my home country to contribute to its development.