Living the American Dream: Kossi Ekpe to collect an electrical engineering degree 11 years after arriving in the United States

Kossi Ekpe said that when he first arrived in the United States, he had almost nothing and shared an air mattress with a roommate.

Now, 11 years later, Ekpe is weeks from heading to Littlejohn Coliseum to collect a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Clemson University.

He said that after graduation he will work in power generation with the U.S. Navy, splitting his time between Norfolk, Virginia and Pendleton, where he now lives with his wife, Marie Claire.

Sometimes, Ekpe even has a little money to spare for the homeless.

“I’ll have $10 or $20,” he said. “If that is possible, then I am living the American dream.”

Ekpe is from the West African nation Togo and received his visa through a lottery aimed at countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

He moved to Anderson, where his sponsor lived, in 2014 and started off working at a car wash and then for a demolition company. He took a job at Chick-fil-A in 2015– a position that gave him the flexibility to enroll in classes at Tri-County Technical College.

Ekpe made a big impression. Chick-fil-A surprised him in 2017 with a $25,000 True Inspiration Scholarship.

Ekpe later transferred to Greenville Technical College, where he received an Associate of Science. By 2021 he was ready to take his educational journey to Clemson University.

It hasn’t been easy. Because he works after class Ekpe tackles much of his homework on his own without the benefit of a study group.

“I always go to sleep about 2 in the morning and wake up about 5 or 6 and then restart my normal day,” he said. “But this last half year was pretty smooth, not too much headache, because I’m kind of used to the situation.”

After Ekpe’s story appeared on Clemson News in December 2023, two readers responded with their wallets, sending a combined $750. Ekpe replied with thank-you letters, and one responded with another $50.

The two began a correspondence, and Ekpe plans to visit him in Tennessee to thank him personally. The money from both was a big help, Ekpe said.

“I thank God that everybody that I have known through my journey has helped me out,” he said, “and now I am able to finish the journey.”

Ekpe’s long-term goal is to get financially secure and then help provide access to electricity to those who don’t have it. Photovoltaic panels, he said, could bring power to small communities in countries such as Togo, opening the same opportunities as in big cities.

“Whenever I want to do something, it doesn’t matter how hard it is– I stay focused,” he said. “For me, time doesn’t matter. The goal is what is important.”