Cohort: 1
Where are you from?
Federal Way, Washington and Chicago’s South Shore community.
What is your favorite field of study/topic?
Biology (164: Introduction to Genetics and Evolution).
What is something you would like people to know about you as a student?
I have a passion to learn. It’s a passion that is so strong it drives me with so much energy and power to pick up anything that I can read. My mind is thirsty to learn new things, and NPEP provides me with a great opportunity to expand my thinking
What does being a part of NPEP mean to you?
NPEP means a great deal to me. It has helped me build the workshop of my mind, to provide me with the tools to excel and dream big. I was told I wouldn’t live to be 25, and even though I am 40 years old now, I have always cursed my conviction — until now. NPEP is like a blessing in disguise. I can’t believe I am a college student.
What course has had the biggest impact on you and why?
I would say sociology. Professor Mary Patillo challenged each one of us to define sociology. I would never forget one of the NPEP students who defined sociology as a nosy lady, and she agreed in a fascinating way that caused me to look at my own community differently. She knew how to make government control seem so relatable to our own personal issues.
What is your favorite book or article that you have read in your NPEP classes?
My favorite book so far is called “Half of a Yellow Sun” by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It’s a chilling and heartbreaking story about sex, lies, and deceit, in the midst of a moment in African history. It’s a book that speaks about struggle. In a way, it feels like you are sharing the experiences of the Biafra people. It speaks on the power of education and, not to mention, one of the characters bears my full name.
What assignment (paper, project, homework) have you found the most rewarding?
It would be a group project with the outside students from our legal class. I didn’t believe I was a good writer until our legal rewrite of our Advocacy Project, which was a joint project to write. No one could tell which student wrote which part, and at that moment, I felt that I had arrived.