A Place of One's Own. Anonymous

I recall lying in bed stiffly, apprehension of the day's imminent duties further strengthening the cords of sleep. It was a Thursday morning. The door of the bedroom I shared with my younger brother swung open in a silent arc and my mother appeared. "We are being evicted. The men are armed."

Images from the ensuing events remain impressed upon my memory: mangled wooden cribs and childhood toys strewn across open roads; neighbours eager to pounce on items discarded by the soldiers who moved our possessions out of our home. I learnt, on that fateful day, the transcendent value of home ownership. However, this was merely the culmination of inner stirrings. When my community suffered an artificial drought because the nearby wells were contaminated by the Ebola virus, I attempted to create a prototype of an atmospheric water generator costing less than $12 USD. I also conceived the idea of in-vehicle bio-sensors that would prevent the car's ignition from starting if the driver's alcohol level exceeded the legal limit. Therefore, my decision to study Civil Engineering gradually emerged from my ideal to harmonise my interests with the furtherance of human and ecosystem health.

I now intend to establish and run a company I will call '...