Meet Immanuel Freeman, 2022 Mandela Washington Fellow
Immanuel Freeman
What motivates you?
About Immanuel Freeman
Pronouns: he/him
Country: Liberia
Occupation: Engineer
Field: I work as a civil engineer for Liberia's Ministry of Public Works supervising the construction and maintenance of public infrastructures.
I am motivated by a desire to see my country, Liberia, and my continent, Africa, reach their full potential. With Africa's available resources, I am confident that we can and should do better! After all is said and done, I hope my kids can say, "Dad was part of the generation that made Africa better."
What drew you to your professional field?
My attraction to engineering stemmed from my desire to contribute to Liberia's rebuilding after our infrastructural fabric was severely damaged during the 14-year civil war.
What is something from your country that you would like to share with the UC Davis community?
I would like to share three things. First, we elected the first female president in Africa. Second, rice is our staple food (and it wouldn't be odd if I had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Three, there's a cool Liberian handshake (it comes with "the snap").
How would you like to engage with UC Davis and the community here?
With the wealth of knowledge found in Davis, I have enjoyed tapping into the expertise of the wide range of professionals by day and enjoying the unique expertise of the social experts by night. I look forward to continued engagement with the water professionals, professors, and GIS experts I have come to know and admire.