Mishek Musa knew that the U of A’s College of Engineering was the right choice for him before he ever stepped foot on campus. 

“Doing the research on the quality of programs, and with [the U of A] being an R1 research university,” he says, “it was the best [mechanical] engineering program for me.” 

Originally from the small Central American country of Belize, Musa was able to transfer to the U of A in 2016 through COBEC, the Consortium for Belize Educational Cooperation. The program is a partnership between higher education institutions in Belize and the U.S. that allows Belizean students like him to attend the U of A for the same cost as an in-state student. 

Though he had traveled to the United States before, he had never visited Arkansas. While things are much more spread out here than in his home country, he says it really wasn’t much of a culture shock. “The small-town nature of Fayetteville appealed to me,” he says. “It reminded me of home, especially on campus. It’s so friendly.” 

Musa says that he had always planned on continuing his education after earning his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. So he went on to earn a Master of Science of Mechanical Engineering, and now he’s working on earning a Ph.D. 

As a student, he assisted Uche Wejinya, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, in his research into control systems and robotics. 

He also spent a lot of time teaching undergraduate mechanical engineering students in mechatronics, control systems, and vibrations. He went one step further, using his expertise in electrical systems to help develop a new course called Intro to Mechatronics, which serves as an introductory course on designing and controlling mechatronic systems, which requires integration of mechanical and electrical knowledge. 

“I wanted to help give students more hands-on experience in electro-mechanical projects,” he says. 

Now Musa is completing his Ph.D. and plans to walk in the U of A’s commencement ceremonies on Dec. 14 inside Bud Walton Arena. 

He says his next step will be to work in the industry. “I want to see how the field is doing,” he says, so he can get industry experience. 

But he might not be leaving the U of A forever. He says that after he gets some experience working in the engineering field, he plans to come back and teach. 

---

For more student success stories like Musa's, check out some of our previous #MyPathToSeniorWalk features: Erick Soto, Kennedy Hicks, Rachell Sanchez-Smith, Gary Jackson, Ismael Salgado, Angel Williams, Michaela Parks and others at our #MyPathToSeniorWalk website. If you have a story that you'd like told or know someone who has an inspiring story, please check out the nomination form.