Why Alexandria wants to be a civil engineer

By ZARA KANU LEBO
THE famous line by former US President John F Kennedy – Ask not what your country can for you, rather ask what you can do for your country – continues to inspire many people around the world, including final-year PNG University of Technology student Alexandria Gabriel.
“Coming for a rural upbringing and a family facing financial difficulties did not stop me from achieving my goal of going to university to fulfill my vision to serve my community and country.”
Alexandria, 21, is into her final year at Unitech in Lae, majoring in structural and transportation engineering under a Bachelor in Civil Engineering degree programme.
Her parents are from Eltaiyai Village in Jiwaka, and Aiyakare Village in Hela. She has eight siblings.
“I’m from a typical Highlands family – extended, polygamous, and blended. I have eight siblings and we live with cousins in the same home. Life at home was tough, with me being one of the youngest. But I wouldn’t want to have it any other way if I was given a chance probably in another life. I still love my family.”

“ It contributed to my choosing to be a civil engineer to help and serve my community and the country.”

She chose the course because of her interest in the development of modern infrastructure in PNG.
“I want to be part of the building of infrastructure. From a civil engineering perspective, infrastructure must be modern, can withstand the load and have a maximised lifespan.”
Funding her university study initially was a challenge.
“I come from a large family and after mum lost her job, we had to look for other alternatives.”
In 2022, she received the Business Professional Women (BPW) PNG LNG Scholarship – a big relief as she entered her second year at university.
“I am grateful to BPW PNG, ExxonMobil PNG and other corporate organisations who are part of my development.”
The BPW scholarship required that she had to maintain certain grade point averages (GPA) to ensure it con tinued.
“It truly challenged me to study hard and work hard for the following year. It gave me opportunities to intern with great companies throughout my study at Unitech.”
She worked under the internship programme with ExxonMobil PNG in Hides and the Works department.
“The BPW helped me with my vision to serve.”
With BPW paying for her university fees, Alexandria spent funds from her internship programmes on two small projects she had planned while in school.
She built a library for her village in Jiwaka in 2022.
This year, she provided materials for her village in Hela to build a library.
She has a box outside her university room door where fellow students donate stationeries in for school children in the two villages.
She has written letters to business houses to provide reading books for the libraries.
“Being from Hela and Jiwaka provinces, and growing up in a village, I wasn’t provided basic services like electricity and roads. The biggest challenge for me was being a female who had to travel from Jiwaka to Mount Hagen in search of a better education. I usually miss classes because of transport problems and flooding. But it didn’t hinder my progress to reach university.
“For that I thank my parents for pushing me on despite the challenges we faced.”
Alexandria believes that everyone today has a right to access basic services.
“It contributed to my choosing to be a civil engineer to help and serve my community and the country.”
She strongly believes in women power, because of the power they have to fight on and progress for everyone.
Reminds one of that African proverb: “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”