Category: Students presentations

Once again, I welcome you to my blog, while I take you on a journey on the reflection on my professional future as a Waste Recycler

In a world where environmental awareness is growing and the need for sustainable practices are greater than ever, I choose to be Waste Recyclist. To me, becoming a Waste Recycler represents a commitment to a sustainable future and provides a one-of-a-kind and impactful way to make a difference.

My journey towards becoming a recyclist began with a simple realization of the pressing need for sustainable practices, way back in Ghana. I realized that my country faces numerous environmental crises, from plastic pollution to climate change which leads to a lot of floods during the raining season. It has become abundantly clear to me what I can do in order to be part of the solution.

The professional future I envision as a recyclist is one where I actively contribute to reducing waste, conserving resources, and promoting a sustainable way of life. I aspire to work in roles that involve recycling program management, waste reduction consulting, or even environmental education, all with the ultimate goal of making our communities greener and healthier.

Even though, I see a lot of challenges, ranges from lack of recycling infrastructure, and the development of new markets for recycled materials. However, these challenges excite me rather than deters me, as it offers the opportunity for groundbreaking ideas and solutions to emerge.

In my recyclist future, I see myself as an inspiration towards my people in building a more sustainable future together.

Six years ago marked the beginning of my professional journey, and since then, I’ve had the privilege of gaining valuable experience in two diverse industries: FMCG and recycling. These years of hands-on experience have not only honed my skills but have also fueled a growing desire to delve deeper into the intricacies of my chosen field. Now, at this juncture in my career, I find myself at a crucial crossroads, driven by a passion for learning and a vision for the future.

Reflecting on my trajectory, I’ve made a deliberate choice to expand my knowledge base significantly. The next phase of my professional development involves pursuing a Ph.D. in the renewable energy sector. This decision is rooted in a profound commitment to contributing meaningfully to an industry that holds the key to sustainable and eco-friendly solutions for the world’s growing energy needs. Envisioning the future, I see myself as a trailblazer in the renewable energy sector. The pursuit of a Ph.D. is not merely an academic endeavor but a strategic step toward acquiring the in-depth knowledge and expertise necessary to drive innovation in this dynamic field. I aim not only to be a consumer of renewable energy advancements but a driving force behind them.

Upon the completion of my Ph.D., my sights are set on returning to my home country (Nigeria). With a wealth of knowledge and a zeal for positive change, I aspire to establish a startup company within the renewable energy sector. This venture is not only a personal aspiration but a commitment to contributing to the sustainable development goals of my nation. The startup will not only create economic opportunities but will also play a pivotal role in addressing the pressing energy challenges faced by my community.

About my professional future, after my master’s degree I don’t want to do a PhD and work on R&D. I’d rather work in a company where sustainability and environmental transition are fundamental values, as they are to me.

Even if I still haven’t decided the specific field I’m interested in, I know that I want to take part in the improvement of a better world, in a social and ecological way. As nowadays it’s economy and money that makes the word, we have to change it and bring ecological concept into the linear economy.

One of my possible ideas for my future will be to advice and support companies to a environmental transition.

I know that I wouldn’t have the same job for the rest of my life. Maybe later, with enough money, I will open an animal sanctuary or I will travel the world to help people who need it.

But for now, I just want to get my master’s degree and find a good internship in a company that I am interested in and passionate about and maybe, if things go well, continue to work with them for the future.

When considering my professional future in a very structured way I need to define what job, what field and what type of life I want.

The possibilities I see in terms of job or work are continuing my studies and carry out a PhD, work in a company or create a start-up.

While I would consider a PhD or a startup respectively if I had a promising master’s thesis or startup project, in the near future I see myself working in a company to gain experience. Since I imagine a stable life at home in Belgium, I have reached an agreement with a Belgian company I like in the field of recycling to carry out my internship and figure out if working for them or a similar company is the path I want.

However, having had good result with our innovation project in the Tapojarvi challenge, I will keep an eye on the possibility to keep growing innovative ideas and maybe develop them on the side as investing my whole time in such project wouldn’t bring the stability I seek at the moment.

Reflecting on my future professional life is something changeable and updated over time. Generally, no matter what career I am going to pursue, I will definitely stick to Research and Development (R&D) either in industry or research centers.

I am highly motivated to pursue research related to SDGs, mainly topics about the environment and Materials Science. Thus, I started my master’s degree in the Advanced Materials and Innovative Recycling (AMIR) program at Bordeaux University in 2022, where I learned about LCA, materials synthesis and characterization, eco-design, batteries recycling, and nanoscience, among others.

In the future, I am planning to pursue my academic journey by doing a PhD upon completing my master’s program. Then, I am committed to contributing to the R&D in Europe and being part of the Green Deal by 2050.

As a master’s student in our last year, we reached one of the most important and undoubtedly one of the hardest points in our career so far: Deciding what we want to do for a living. Not knowing where we will end up or how long we can stay in one place. It is a stressful, but impactful moment in our lives.

When I graduated from KU Leuven in 2022, I had to make a decision. Start working, pursue a PhD, do another master… I had no idea what to do and just followed what felt best at that moment, so I decided to go abroad to do another master. It is a decision I will never regret. Not only because I had the time of my life and met so many interesting people, but especially because it made me realize what I want to do in my professional career. It made me fall in love with the field of batteries and battery recycling.

During these 2 years in the AMIR master, I discovered my passion and the area I want to dedicate my professional life to. I feel I can be a pioneer in this area and really make a difference. For me the most important thing in my career is that I can make noticeable advancements and can try to fundamentally chance something. The field of battery recycling is one of the fastest growing and developing areas at the moment and I cannot wait to contribute to this. There are still so many challenges and opportunities so I am confident I will never end up in a boring and repetitive job. Also, because this is such an international environment, I can work in this amazing industry while discovering different parts of the world. For me, this is the perfect way to combine my professional passion in battery recycling with my passion for traveling around the world and discovering new cultures.

As a conclusion of this reflection, I cannot wait to get started and dive into the professional world. We will encounter hard and difficult times, but the reward of accomplishment and making a difference is worth all the hard work, long days and many sacrifices.

Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men and weak man create hard times ~ G. Michael Hopf

Reflecting about my future professional life is always exciting but challenging at the same time. As I sit today in my 40 m square cubicle, sipping my favourite French coffee, “Café au Lait”, I welcome you as I write my story of tomorrow.

First and foremost, I am very grateful to where I am now, and I am still in the process of connecting the dots for my future professional life. Each experience and opportunity have been a valuable piece of the puzzle, shaping my skills and perspective.

I am passionate in sustainability, circular economy, and energy transition. I believe that my strong background in chemistry coupled with the AMIR master program holds the potential for impactful contributions to these critical fields in my future career.

I am committed to use my skillset and expertise in chemistry, sustainability material science and circular economy in developing eco-friendly processes, renewable energy solutions, and sustainable materials. Whether it’s pioneering new methods for recycling and upcycling, designing environmentally friendly production processes, or contributing to advancements in clean energy technologies, my career path aligns with the global imperative to address pressing environmental challenges.

By embracing my enthusiasm to sustainability, I will embark on a journey where scientific innovation meets the urgent needs of our planet, making a lasting and positive impact on the future.

“We can change the world, and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference”, Nelson Mandela

Once again, I welcome you to my blog, while I take you on a journey on the reflection on my professional future as a Waste Recycler

In a world where environmental awareness is growing and the need for sustainable practices are greater than ever, I choose to be Waste Recyclist. To me, becoming a Waste Recycler represents a commitment to a sustainable future and provides a one-of-a-kind and impactful way to make a difference.

My journey towards becoming a recyclist began with a simple realization of the pressing need for sustainable practices, way back in Ghana. I realized that my country faces numerous environmental crises, from plastic pollution to climate change which leads to a lot of floods during the raining season. It has become abundantly clear to me what I can do in order to be part of the solution.

The professional future I envision as a recyclist is one where I actively contribute to reducing waste, conserving resources, and promoting a sustainable way of life. I aspire to work in roles that involve recycling program management, waste reduction consulting, or even environmental education, all with the ultimate goal of making our communities greener and healthier.

Even though, I see a lot of challenges, ranges from lack of recycling infrastructure, and the development of new markets for recycled materials. However, these challenges excite me rather than deters me, as it offers the opportunity for groundbreaking ideas and solutions to emerge.

In my recyclist future, I see myself as an inspiration towards my people in building a more sustainable future together.

In my professional career I’m not sure in what field I would like to work. There is such a wide range of topics I would be interested in, such as recycling of CRW or green energy transition. It is not clear to me how I might contribute to a more sustainable world, if by working for a company or in research. I would like to try both experiences to be able to understand what suits me better. 

What i know is what is important for me right now:

• Stability: I moved a lot lately and, for how inspiring and positive this was, I feel like I want to stay in a place for a bit longer, instead of moving every 6 months/1 year. For now, I would like to keep living in Spain. However, one day, I would like to go back to Italy.
• Free time: I want to work in a stimulating environment where I can put into practice what I have learned so far. At the same time, I think it is important to have time to dedicate to my friends, family and to what I like. I don’t want all my life to orbit around my job.