It's a long journey from Cameroon to Big Rapids, more than 6,000 miles and some 20 hours of flying.

But the journey from a college degree in engineering to a career in the beverage industry might be even longer, metaphorically speaking.

Ferris State University graduate Edwige Fute Ngouen has done both.

She laughs as she sketches out the broad parameters of the tale from her native country to the CEO and co-founder of Cocktail Menot, a Chicago-based company that makes non-alcoholic gourmet cocktail enhancers.

"Yes, back in Cameroon, I was studying for applied mathematics, but my goal was always to become an engineer," she said. "Ferris State was recommended to me, and my father and I built a strong relationship with the International Student Office. Because I was coming to the US on my own, my parents needed to have a trusted relationship with the school, and they found comfort and support with Ferris."

That comfort and support, she added, would endure both during her time as an undergraduate and then during her days as a graduate student. She earned a Bachelor of Science Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology degree in 2006 and a Master of Science in Information System Management degree in 2009.

"From picking me up from the airport in Grand Rapids, connecting me with other international students and onboarding me through an international student orientation, everything at Ferris State was truly designed to help make international students welcome," she said with a smile.

Adjusting to life on a university campus in the United States had its challenges, she said.

"I worked extra hard the first year to get up-to-speed with my cohort," Ngouen recalled. "I had to adapt to my new environment, learn and comprehend a new language, adjust to a new school system and deal with race and gender disparity."

With the assistance of many on campus, she persisted.

She still recalls with gratitude the many people in the International Student Office who assisted her. Professors in the Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology were also key resources and mentors on her journey as the only woman in her graduating class ("Mr. Ron McKean has always been my strongest advisor," she said).

And, she added, her fellow students were amazing. "Thanks to Kurk Laird, James V. Rhoden and Dan Scully especially as we learned to help and support each other through lab homeworks, exams, projects and more," she said.

Tara Braun, Ferris State’s executive director of International Education, said Ngouen’s is a perfect example of how international students are welcomed at the university, and how they enrich learning.

“International students provide diversity and cultural enrichment, research and innovation opportunities, and enrich the classroom by providing different perspectives not only on campus but in the greater community,” she said. “Ferris State University is committed to growing international enrollment and providing this diverse perspective in the classroom and welcomes students from all over the globe to learn in the world classroom.”

As an undergraduate student in engineering, Ngouen wasn't afraid to take on more work, including working some 16-20 hours per week as math tutor and as an orientation leader during International Orientation week.

Today that work ethic serves her well as the CEO and co-founder of Cocktail Menot, a Chicago-based company that makes non-alcoholic gourmet cocktail enhancers.

She said that after working for a number of years in engineering in West Michigan, and numerous volunteer hours with the Red Cross and Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids, she was driven to start her cocktail company because of both passion and frustration.

"I’ve always been fascinated by the art of mixing different flavors into a cocktail," she said. "That was the passion. But, after being in the U.S. for 20-plus years, I was still frustrated by the gaps in the flavor diversity on the store shelves."

Her Cameroonian heritage was a big part of that frustration, she said.

"Access to traditional tropical flavors such as pineapple, coconut, passion fruit, lemongrass, ginger was improving, but not fast enough for my taste," she said. "Plus, I thought that a lot of the products mentioning these flavors did not taste right. My husband and I made it my mission to create cocktails that would reflect our Cameroonian origins and our current U.S. experience."

She said she is now driven to create "a liquid legacy."

She added: "Motivating people like me to dare, to innovate and to dream big is part of that legacy."

Her company makes premium Ready-to-Drink Spritzers and "cocktailizers" meant to be added to your alcohol of choice to create one-of-a-kind drinks.

They also are associate partners of the Chicago Fire Major League Soccer team, a relationship that Ngouen said is a natural fit.

"Growing up in the streets of Douala, Cameroon, football has been an intricate part of our daily lives," she told Eleven Sports Media. "As a local-based company, supporting our football team (Chicago Fire) felt so natural. We hope that partnering with the local team will play its part in bringing more flavors and diversity to the stadium.”

She is excited about the TITÙN Spritz launch at the Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew game on May 18 at Soldier Field, but acknowledges that it is often hard work to juggle the many responsibilities of being an entrepreneur with her responsibilities as both a wife and a mother of three young children, ages eight, six and two.

"The lines between work and family easily get blurred," she said with a chuckle. "But, to stay motivated I stay focused on my objectives, and I stay positive."

Those are qualities, she added, that she can trace to her childhood in Cameroon and also to her days on the Ferris State campus.

And she welcomes Bulldogs of all ages to get connected to her company, including at the May 18 soccer game.

"It will be a historic event, and it would mean a lot to have Ferris well represented," she said.