“Hi Liberian stars views, I got your info from a friend who recently hosted my graduation party and told me to share my story with you. I hope you like it.”
Albert is the son of Mr. John Cooper and Mrs. Yassah Cooper. He is the third child of five siblings. He was born and raised in Monrovia, Liberia; a country off the west coast of Africa. At an early age, Albert developed a passion for Engineering & Construction. As time progressed, so did Albert’s love for Construction. As a youth, he spent the majority of his free time building model houses from mud and sticks that he found from nearby dumpsters.
In 2006, Albert arrived in the United States with his three brothers. At times, he felt like America was not the place for him, and he wanted to return home. After junior high, he moved to Katy where he was enrolled at Mayde Creek High School. While at Mayde Creek he joined several clubs, became well known for his involvement in school and in the community, and he excelled personally and academically.
Towards the end of his senior year in high school, Albert was one of the ten graduating seniors to receive the Katy ISD Excellence Award. The summer following his graduation Albert obtained his first paying job as a distributor of cards and flyers for a landscaping business owned by his neighbor. Later that fall, Albert enrolled at Lone Star College Cy-fair, where he continued his journey towards obtaining his Bachelors in Construction Management.
After two years, Albert graduated with his Associates Degree and transferred to The University of Houston College of Technology. With no prior experience, Albert was still determined to follow his passion and his heart. Following both a financial and an academic setback during his first semester at the University of Houston, Albert began working as a Sales Associate at a shoe store. During that time, Albert’s grades and his Engineering knowledge began to excel.
In the summer of 2015, Albert landed his first job in the Construction field with the help of a friend. He worked as a laborer for a demolition company. After two disappointing years in his program with no job or internship in his field, Albert’s prayer got answered during his last semester junior year. He received an offer from the City of Houston Engineering & Construction Department to work as a Student Intern/Assistant Project Manager. While at the City, Albert had the opportunity to be mentored by Professional Engineers, Project Manager, Project Inspector and fellow Student Interns. Also during his time at the City, Albert had the opportunity to work on several waste water and Drinking Water Treatment Plants.
At the beginning of his senior year, Albert received an offer from MD Anderson Facilities’ Planning Design & Construction Department to work as a Student Extern. At MD Anderson, he also had the opportunity to be mentored by Project Controls Specialists, Engineers, Project Managers, Contractors, and fellow Externs.
During his first semester as a senior, Albert’s hard work finally began to pay off when his team won third place in their Senior Capstone Project. This achievement served as both a reminder and a motivation for Albert to never give up on his passions and dreams. At the conclusion of his undergraduate journey, Albert was offered a job to work as a Project Controls Engineer & Quantity Surveyor for an International Construction Company.
Albert would like to give thanks to God, his family, his friends, and the numerous individuals that have played a major role throughout his journey.
A Word from the Graduate
I decided to major in Construction Management because of my desire to fulfill my childhood dream. I believe that as a Construction Engineer, my passion for building and fixing things is my way of contributing towards the society and environment in which I live. I would like my work to serve as a change towards the deteriorating infrastructure of the third world countries, most especially Liberia. I would like to travel the world and work with people who have the same passion as me; people who want to change the lives of others. Growing up I always wondered why things were built a certain way, most especially buildings and roads. As a Construction Engineer, I am able to be directly involved in the process. Lastly, I would like to encourage all my peers and the younger generations out there to follow your dreams; always have a passion for what you love, and never give up.
We’d like to send our gratitude to our brother for sharing his story with us and also working hard to achieve his goal. Thanks for helping to inspire our community. You are awesome!
If you are a recent graduate or you know anyone who is preparing for graduation, please email us or tell them to send a mini bio/photo to liberianstarsviews!gmail.com
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