My name is Jean Engohang-Ndong. I was born and raised in Gabon; a French-speaking country located in Central-Western Africa. From my early childhood, I was already immersed in an educational environment as my father was an elementary school teacher. Education was primordial for my father, so naturally, I embraced it. As a kid, I enjoyed several types of outdoor activities including playing soccer, fishing, and gardening, to name only those. These outdoor activities gave me the opportunity to take a break from my weekly loaded academic activities. Fast-forwards, after I graduated from high school, I started my higher education studies at the University of Sciences and Technologies of Masuku in Gabon where I obtained an Associate degree in Biology and Chemistry. At the completion of my Associate degree, I obtained a scholarship that allowed me to go abroad, to France to pursue my higher education in Biological Sciences. There, I obtained a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Biology with an emphasis on Cell Biology and Physiology. I finally completed my higher education with a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology at the Pasteur Institute of Lille in France. Immediately after I obtained my Ph.D., I decided to move to the United States of America in order to continue my research adventure as a Post-doctoral fellow in the field of tuberculosis. My major interest was in the identification of bacterial genes that could be used as drug targets in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for human tuberculosis. During my post-doctoral fellowship, I came to realize that though I was enjoying research, I was, however, missing interacting with the academic environment. Therefore, I decided at the end of my post-doctoral position to seek an academic position that would give me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of interacting and, above all, sharing my educational experience with students and colleagues across the globe. Thus, since Fall 2007, I have been a University Professor at different faculty ranks, teaching Biological sciences to Science Majors, lower and upper-division courses, and non-major students. I am currently an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Kent State University where I have been a faculty member since Fall 2010. What I love the most about teaching biological sciences is bringing basic biology concepts to life through my research experience and my multicultural background. I love to illustrate basic biology concepts with clear and simple examples of everyday life that my students can relate to. When I start interacting with a student or a group of students, I get to know them first and learn about their interests. Getting to know my students is a key aspect in determining the best approach to use in order to convey complicated biology concepts. Thus, I strive as much as possible to adapt my teaching to my student’s needs while keeping high academic standards, which are essential for producing highly competitive students and excellent citizens. As a professional in education, my ultimate goal is to help my students achieve the best of themselves. I love helping them discover themselves in the way they learn and teaching them to develop ways to make learning effective for themselves with as minimal stress as possible. I help them develop a love of learning and reachable goals. I help them develop metacognitive strategies and habits that will guarantee their success academically and in their life as a whole. Interestingly, however, many students in real need do not always have the opportunity and privilege to benefit from my experience and that of my highly qualified peers as a resource for their academic and personal development. Underserved students, including minority, economically disadvantaged, and first-generation students, do not always enjoy the benefits of accessing postsecondary education, persisting once enrolled, and attaining a postsecondary degree which is essential to take them out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Because of my love for what I do, for my community, and for my fellow citizens, I have developed Ekaza-Bridging The Gap, an educational organization that provides educational support services with the goal of helping our students with access to higher education, persistence, and postsecondary degree attainment in a timely manner. I proactively work with families, students, and academic institutions.Besides teaching, research, and service to students and academic institutions, I love performing woodwork projects, and spending time around my house on landscaping and construction/repair projects. In addition, I love hiking and above all, I love spending time with my family.

Dr. Jean Engohang-Ndong