My fascination for anything scientific began when I was 9 years old. I used to accompany my grandmother, who happens to be a herbalist, to the forest to collect herbs and other materials for the purpose of curing, or managing a disease. She used to teach me various types of herbal remedies used to manage diseases and also how to use and administer these remedies. At the age of 10, I started to administer various medicines to people who come to seek medical help from my grandmother. One of the herbal remedy I administered was bitter leaf. I administered this leaf for the treatment of malaria and skin diseases such as ring worm and eczema. I was very interested in this part of science because my grandmother always thought that these herbs work through a spiritual means. But as a kid, I knew this herbal remedies didn’t work through a spiritual means. With this interest and fascination, I began the journey to find the reason why certain herbs can be used to cure or manage certain diseases.
When I graduated from elementary school, my mother decided to put me in a school of arts and sciences. Growing up in Nigeria, the norm was that your parents decide what you became in the future. Unluckily for me, my mother chose to place me in the school of art because she felt I was so good with business, since I showed her how to maximize profit in the small business she owned. As an art student, I was never introduced to anything science but I can remember sneaking into my friend’s chemistry and biology classes just to learn new things. I remember one day when I was in my friend’s chemistry class, his teacher went off topic and started talking about drugs and how it works. When the lecture was over, I was very happy because not knowing it, he had enlightened me on the concepts of drugs and also the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacodynamics of drugs. When the semester was over, I begged my mother to change my courses from art to science for the upcoming semester, surprisingly she reluctantly agreed on a condition that I must maintain no less than an A average in my respective classes. I was very happy because I knew finally, I have begun my journey to understand the medical purposes of herbs and how it works.
After I graduated from high school in Nigeria, I never knew what my career path was going to be. But I knew in my heart that I wanted to do something that relates to drugs. At the age of 16, my father gave me the opportunity to come to the United States to go to school. When I came to the United States, I started my Associate Degree in the fall of 2008 and I graduated with an Associate degree in Science in the fall of 2011. When I graduated, I was accepted to go to school at Elizabeth City State University and National University of Health Science. But I chose ECSU because of their pharmacy program. As of right now, I’m working on my Bachelors degree in Pharmaceutical Science with a concentration in Clinical Science and Pre-Pharmacy, Bachelors degree in Biology with a concentration in Pre-Medicine and a minor in Chemistry.
Over the course of my stay in ECSU, I have gotten various opportunities to do so many interesting things in this school. I participate in the Heath Professional Scholar Program and with this, I help tutor more than 10 classes and also I participate a lot of volunteer work in the community. I have acquired lots of experience for my participation in the CERSER (Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research) program here in the ECSU campus. I was accepted into the Research Experience for Undergraduates in Ocean, marine, and Polar Science internship at Elizabeth City State University. With this internship, I began a program called Watershed Watch. I had the opportunity to work with professors from the University of New Hampshire to study the water quality in Elizabeth City, NC and how it affects the quality of life. Dr. Stephen Hale, Dr. Annette Schloss and Mr. Jeff Schloss served as our mentor and with their help; my team and I investigated local stream water quality to determine the impact of agriculture and development. We also examined and tested the water temperature, dissolved oxygen level, pH, turbidity and specific conductivity with a multi-parameter meter. And finally, we collected water sample to analyze the ammonia, nitrate, and the turbidity to determine the quality of the water in Elizabeth City, NC.
My interest in science has continued to grow because I look at science as not just a career path I chose, I look at it as a part of life because most things we do on a daily basics was made possible from the concept of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). My vision and passion of science has taken me on a journey I wish to accomplish. I have had any setbacks in life that could have altered my interest in science and technology but I chose science because of its importance to me.
My plan in the future is to go to graduate school. I plan to obtain a Doctorate degree in Pharmacy as while as a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science. When I'm working on my Ph.D., I plan to do extensive research on bitter leaf also known as vernonia. I have fantasized and envision this aspect of my life because this herbal remedy led me to have a strong passion for science. I also plan to go to medical school when I'm done with everything pharmacy. One of my biggest plans for the future is to open a nonprofit organization in Africa for people who can't get the medical help they deserve.
