For Ama Biney ’18, who grew up in Worcester, WPI offered everything she had hoped for in a university. Biney’s journey to The Hill began with elementary school science camps and high school basketball tournaments before she’d realized her dream of being a student athlete at a top engineering school. “I always knew WPI was an impressive school academically, and after deciding I wanted to continue to play basketball and softball in college, it became my top choice. I understood at WPI I could gain a world class education while also competing at a high level.” And compete at a high level, she did. The 2023 WPI Athletics Hall of Fame inductee offers a shoutout to Coaches Whitney Goldstein and Cherise Galasso for a great recruiting journey.
Biney adds how being a student athlete positively impacted her academically, saying, “Being an athlete helped me gain the time management skills and focus needed to participate to the highest capacity in the classroom, while also being successful on the court and field. For me there is not one without the other.”
“I LOVED my time as part of WPI athletics and always make sure to support to this day any time I can.”
Ama Biney ‘18
Today, the management engineering major is a senior project controls specialist with National Grid where she is accountable for the development, management, update, and analysis of project schedules and costs for a $400-$500M portfolio of complex capital electric projects including transmission line, distribution line, and substation projects.
Reflecting on her time on The Hill, Biney says, “I like to say that, in a good way, WPI kind of throws you into the deep end. School gets serious very fast at the beginning of the term. You are taking midterms before you know it and finals after seven short weeks, while your friends at other colleges are still getting their feet wet. This really gave me the courage to try new things and put myself out there for different opportunities in my career. I might not have all the answers right away, but I know that I can work hard to get them just as I learned to do while at WPI. I have conquered hard things before, and I know that I will be able to conquer them again.”
She adds, “I still feel greatly connected to WPI. It is in my hometown, and I grew up there both physically and emotionally. My four years at WPI shaped me into a young woman that was able to take on the real world. I will never forget the people I interacted with on a daily basis and still keep in touch with. I will always root for WPI.”
In gratitude for all the university has given her, Biney began her philanthropic legacy at WPI while she was still a student, and she continues to support the university regularly. When asked about her consistent giving to the university, she says, “I try to play my part by giving back because I want the WPI experience to be even better for the next person.”