Engineering Sustainable Energy Solutions: Cooke Scholar Heber Bibang
Growing up in Gabon, Cooke Scholar Heber Bibang frequently experienced power outages due to a restricted energy supply. Heber began to visit oil sites in high school, which spurred an interest in sustainable energy and understanding the global economic impact of the oil and gas industries. After coming to the U.S., he completed his associate’s degree at Mountain View College in Texas and earned the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Now Heber is studying at Texas Tech University, as he works toward his future goal of becoming a reservoir engineer.
“I was fascinated by the drilling, pipelines, machine design, and the collaborative work done by the petroleum engineers,” says Heber of observing oil sites. “Petroleum factories truly play a significant role in the world by providing sophisticated technology to maintain the supply of crude at the national and global level.”
While maintaining a focus on affordable and innovative energy solutions, Heber has also dedicated time to developing fluency in multiple languages. He currently speaks French, Fang, and English; he is also beginning to learn Spanish. Heber says he may learn Japanese next, inspired by watching anime and reading manga. Like his interest in languages, Heber’s passion for mathematics takes a global perspective:
“Math provides a means to evaluate relations, comprehend patterns, and anticipate outcomes. It also facilitates my appreciation of other cultures, such as understanding Egypt’s pyramids through the use of trigonometric and geometric principles,” Heber explains. “To me, math is a tool for communicating and solving complex world problems.”
Like all of our Cooke Transfer Scholars, Heber will receive up to $40,000 per year for up to three years while he completes his bachelor’s degree. The scholarship program also provides opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding.
“A Cooke Scholarship is more than just the financial support; it truly opens many other doors of opportunities and changes the way you view this world. It makes you realize that if we continue to strive together as scholars, we can accomplish amazing things and bring tangible, positive changes to our society,” expresses Heber. Over the summer, he attended our annual Scholars Weekend event and was able to meet hundreds of fellow Cooke Scholars in person.
“We may have different majors, but it seems like we have the same vision in term of addressing our communities’ needs and making this world a better place. As I reflected on each one of us, our potential, our stories, and aspirations, it became clear to me that the Foundation didn’t make a mistake in choosing such a diverse group of intellectual scholars.”
