We are pleased to highlight Mr. Wendkouni Hermann Nikiema as a new member of the University of Illinois family! Hermann is a geologist with five years of industry experience in his home country, Burkina Faso, Africa. Hermann holds a Master’s degree in Geology from the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Africa. In addition to this degree, Mr. Nikiema is currently completing the Environmental Geology Graduate Certificate Program at Illinois to help broaden his skill set in applied geoscience, so that he is more qualified to land a position as an environmental consultant and industry geologist in the United States. Mr. Nikiema plans to enroll in the Environmental Geology Online Master’s program as part of the fall 2022 cohort of students, and use the 12 hours taken toward the completion of the certificate sequence and apply it also to the 32 credit-hour Master’s degree in Environmental Geology.
Mr. Nikiema currently works full time at John Deere, which drew him to our Environmental Geology programs at Illinois for career advancement and graduate-level training in many advanced topics. He shared that he often works 10 hours a day, Monday through Friday, and even some Saturdays, so “online courses are the single best way for me to learn.” Mr. Nikiema also cited that, “With the Environmental Geology program, I have time during weekends to work on my homework and review the courses, or early in the morning between 2 am to 7 am (within the week) after getting off work. My employer is also flexible, and I manage with them as needed.”
We are glad you found a home in the Online Environmental Geology Program, Herman, and welcome to the Illinois family!
