2007 alum takes his Penn education overseas

Life in a new city can be a challenging experience for any young college graduate.

It's even more difficult when that city is on a different continent and doesn't even have so much as a street sign for guidance.

Such was the experience for Jareau Wade, a 2007 Engineering alumnus who returned to Penn last week having spent much of the last year working a dream job that has tested the skills he learned as a Quaker - teaching much of what he learned at Penn to students at a startup school in Ghana.

The school, run by a Norwegian corporate training center called Meltwater, aims to give Ghanaian college graduates the tools to live and work in the country by teaching them scientific, technological and entrepreneurial techniques at no charge. Meltwater, in turn, receives a small investment return from the new businesses its graduates start.

Wade discovered Meltwater at a career fair while still at Penn, then found a job as one of the original fellows of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, a job he found he preferred to a more typical corporate path.

"I took a chance going there," Wade said. "I'm learning to swim as I go along."

At Penn, Wade was President of the National Society of Black Engineers in 2006-07 and captain of the men's club soccer team. He struggled with schoolwork early on, but later became one of the most recognizable figures on campus after being named Mr. SEAS.

Wade said he strived to learn as much as he could outside the classroom at Penn because his goal was ultimately to do something "more adventurous" with his life.

"I wanted to use my talents to solve problems," he said - something he has gotten the chance to do in Ghana.

He said his work there has reinforced his feeling that Ghana's problems must ultimately be solved by its own people.

"It's like the 'teach a man to fish' mantra," he said of his job, which includes not only giving lectures and preparing PowerPoint presentations, but also preparing software and sometimes acting as a guinea pig to test new materials.

"My work has to be good. I have to be on top of my game," he said.

Wade's experience has been unique even for life abroad, though, because he lives alongside his MEST students, many of whom are older than him.

"It's challenging to live there sometimes," he admitted, citing often-dusty living conditions, noxious smells, and the lack of road names or set cab fares.

Still, Wade says he's "having so much fun."

Sam Cassel, an Engineering Economics and Entrepreneurship professor, said that while Wade is not alone in his passions, his experiences have been unique.

"A reasonably good percentage of our students want to take a similar . path."

Most importantly, Wade said his perception of the United States has changed.

"I've never felt more American than when I'm there," he said, "but I've learned things in the world are changing."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.