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Dr. Martin Tango knows the value of self-motivation and self-empowerment because he lived it. From an early age, his success depended on beating the odds.

The Acadia Engineering Professor grew up in a small East African town where the only school nearby went up to Grade 4. From there, students took a national exam, and just one or two out of 45 would progress to Grade 5. Dr. Tango was one of them. Away from home at boarding school for Grades 5 to 7, he was again one of the few who made it to secondary school.

After completing Grades 9 to 12 at a technical school, he went on to earn a three-year college certificate. Then he fulfilled a year of military service before applying to university as a mature student.

鈥淲hat would have happened if I was not one of those who made it from Grade 4?鈥� he asks. 鈥淲hat would have happened to me if I was not one of those who made it to Grade 7? And what happened if I was not the lucky one to be in one of the two technical schools in the country? Probably, I wouldn鈥檛 be here. But, here I am.鈥�

From Early Interest to Engineering Innovation

When asked how he got started in engineering, Dr. Tango says he followed his passion and penchant for physics and math while attending a leading technical school. His initial interest was in mechanical engineering: technical drawings, building things, and testing them.

He pursued a Master鈥檚 Degree in Mechanical Engineering, then joined an engineering design firm that collaborated with the Ministry of Industry. As he designed products like chicken feed mixers and bread dough machines, Dr. Tango realized that if he knew more about biological processes, his designs would be more effective.

He eventually moved to Canada, earned a Commonwealth Scholarship, and completed a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering at Dalhousie University.

鈥淚 drew an interest in using residual waste after the main product is produced to make a value-added product,鈥� he explains, noting that his research focused on fermentation and byproducts from cheese production. 鈥淭o me, that鈥檚 very inspiring. It makes me feel that I鈥檓 doing something very valuable.鈥�

Connecting Students with Lasting Skills

Today, he brings his global academic experience and practical engineering knowledge to his classroom at Acadia. Since 2005, he鈥檚 been equipping Acadia students with practical skills and transferable knowledge they can use throughout their careers.

鈥淵ou teach material, but you connect that with practical applications in the industry,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f they can comprehend that, I have done my job. But if, over time, they realize that what I shared on a topic has stayed with them and they鈥檙e using it time and time again, then there鈥檚 real value.鈥�

鈥淎 student should feel connected. They should feel there is value.鈥�

Through his role as a board member of Dalhousie鈥檚 Imhotep's Legacy Academy, Dr. Tango is also helping empower Black youth by creating after-school programming that introduces them to STEM topics through fun activities.

He does this work because opportunities like this weren鈥檛 available to him on his journey.

鈥淚f we can inspire or engage these Black kids, and indeed we are, guess what鈥攕ome of the first cohort involved in Imhotep have graduated as dentists. They have Ph.D.s.鈥� Dr. Tango explains. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have this benefit in the past, but now I have a chance. I have a skill set. I can do this, and it鈥檚 good.鈥�

Empowerment Through Effective Communication

Dr. Tango鈥檚 journey informs his perspective on this year鈥檚 African Heritage Month theme, For us, by us.

鈥�For us, by us means everything we want to do, we are responsible for it,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e responsible for it. We want our voice heard, and there are things that matter to us as Black people. Then we are the ones who should make that happen.鈥�

He adds that making things happen requires Black people to empower themselves with appropriate skills, especially effective communication.

鈥淚f you cannot communicate something clearly, then everything goes astray from there because we think about things differently,鈥� Dr. Tango shares, noting miscommunication can lead to conflict.

鈥淪o to me, the core thing is: let something you want to be done by you be done in a clear way, the way you want it, and be communicated effectively. But you need the skill set.鈥�

This perspective comes from lived experience. When he began teaching in Canadian university classrooms where there were fewer black people, he faced challenges, including racism.

鈥淎long the way, racism comes in,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut you have to focus and keep working.鈥�

The Power of People Skills

From his primary school days, Dr. Tango took on leadership roles鈥攍ike managing the school鈥檚 livestock or working in the dispensary. He now puts his leadership skills to work by serving on Acadia committees, mentoring student societies, and serving on Engineers Nova Scotia鈥檚 Sustainability Committee. He is sharing these leadership skills with Acadia students through co-teaching an elective on engineering project management and leadership.

鈥淚t empowers kids on how to manage a project, about making decisions and conflict management,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t combines everything together.鈥�

A critical component of this kind of project leadership, Dr. Tango says, is people skills. He says that even if you have a high level of skill in your profession, if you鈥檙e not proficient with communication and relationships, others can misunderstand who you are and what you stand for. It鈥檚 within these misunderstandings that racism can take root.

鈥淏ut if we tell our stories鈥攚e let other people know what we value, how we think鈥攖hen we wouldn鈥檛 have to talk about racism.鈥�