Alumni Spotlight
Aboubacar Konate ’12: His Years at English High Helped Keep Him on Track
Aboubacar Konate arrived in America when he was 16. He had never been in or seen a subway system. Well, there aren’t any in his native Conakry, capital of the western African nation of Guinea, a former French colony.
Fast forward. After graduation from English High, Abou earned his B. S. in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire and now works as a Structural Designer/Project Engineer at HDR, Inc., an engineering firm. Somewhat ironically, he is a Program Manager on the Red and Orange Line Subway System Improvement Program for the MBTA!
Abou is also serving as President of the COMTO (Conference of Minority Transportation Officials) Boston Chapter, which opened doors for him to grow his network. He says, “My job is related to the mission and goals of COMTO. I realized my network could become my networth early in my career.” He proudly points to EHS alum Robert Prince ’67, former General Manager of the MBTA, as one of his advisors.
Asked if there were courses at EHS that helped him decide about a possible career, Abou notes that Algebra, Geometry and English were the deciding classes: “I did well enough in them to let me know I was ready for the next step. The biggest skill I learned was among all distractions around me, I learned to continuously stay focused on the task at hand, which was to get A’s in my classes and graduate in the top of my class, which I did.” In addition to English, Abou speaks three other languages: French, Maninka, and Sussu.
One teacher who was especially helpful was Ms. Melissa Aguirre, “My history teacher who welcomed me with open arms, understood my background and gave me directions, was always willing to teach me, and helped me meet my first engineer who I shadowed on the job. Another was my ESL 3 teacher, a great disciplinarian who followed me and kept me focused. And another was Ms. Kim Calderon, my guidance counselor who helped with my college scholarships and helped me deal with the stress of it all.”
Abou has tips for current English students regarding his ‘secrets to success’: “My advice to any high school student: Be open-minded, be willing to learn from others, learn to create a connection, get out of your comfort zone, get closer to elderly people and ask them lots of questions about any and everything in life and just absorb like a sponge, because you will eventually face them all and will know the answers when the time comes.”
What about the meaning of his name? “Aboubacar originated from Islam and was the Prophet Muhammad’s closest companion and adviser, who succeeded to the Prophet’s political and administrative functions, thereby initiating the office of the caliph.”
