Undergraduate Prince Ahinasi said he has found his time at Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) to be a transformative experience, broadening his horizons and approach to life.
Ahinasi began his college career at Georgia State University, studying chemistry and core courses, before deciding that transferring into chemical engineering at Georgia Tech in January 2021 would best meet his career goals.
“I chose chemical engineering because I love math, and I love chemistry, and I thought chemical engineering would be a very good combination of both of them,” he said. “It’s very challenging, and I love a challenge, so that’s why I’m here.”
Coming Out of His Shell
Previously quite introvered, Ahinasi discovered the rigors of the ChBE program at Tech would require him to grow his network to include supportive study friends after he transferred to Tech.
“Instead of dealing with competitiveness, I found a culture of helping and collaboration,” said Ahinasi, who will graduate in August 2024. “When it’s high stress, and there are a lot of things to do, we’re always helping each other get through it.”
He said he now approaches his life more holistically than just focusing on studies. “That’s why I broadened by horizons to join the running club, where I made many friends, as well as the ChBE Student Ambassadors, where I give prospective students tours of the building and pass along knowledge of the many opportunities here.”
He also become a teaching assistant for the ChBE 2801 course to help incoming transfer students like himself. “I made more friends through that,” said Ahinasi, who’s worked as a student assistant to a project manager at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Career Opportunities
Ahinsai’s success in the ChBE program inspired him to pursue two internships at Eastman in Kingsport, Tennessee, where he worked in summer 2022 (in research and development for the tech/coatings group) and in summer 2023 (process improvement engineering in polymers).
After graduation, he will start in September as a process engineer for Eastman. “I ultimately want to work my way up into a leadership or managerial position,” he said.
Raised in Accra, Ghana, Ahinasi moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2016 to attend high school, following his father, who’d moved to the United States years earlier to pursue business opportunities, traveling back and forth to visit his family.
While at Georgia Tech, Ahinasi has served as a reservist on a six-year contract with the U.S. Marines and might extend his contract in 2025. “The main reason I joined was to give back, expressing my appreciation for the country and the opportunities it’s given me.”