Tufts University
Founder: Project Lunchtime and advocate for 1st generation students

Service has allowed me to reach where I am today, and it is why I will become an innovative leader in advancing food security among marginalized communities domestically and internationally. “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” That is the theme of my story.

It was the theme of my story when I took my first job in middle school to help my mom when my dad relocated to Nigeria, risking his life in Boko Haram territory to feed the hungry. It was the theme of my story during my junior year of high school when I decided to emulate my father and feed the hungry by creating a non-profit, saving over 1,000 pounds of food, and networking five restaurants that would form the cornerstone to tackle food insecurity in my city. It was undoubtedly the theme when I became a primary organizer of a non-profit empowering over 60 student organizations on campus to assemble weekly and deliver fresh produce to upwards of 80 families below the poverty line. Service is what defines me.

My journey to this point was unlike anything I could have imagined. I desired to go to college, to make something of myself that my father could be proud of, but I never knew how I would pay for it. That was until I was awarded the prestigious Questbridge Scholarship, allowing a small-town boy from Georgia to travel to Massachusetts and attend Tufts University. On arrival, I witnessed how students from my underprivileged background lacked support from the administration, so I ran to become the FIRST Community Senator to serve First-Generation and Low-Income students. My ideas of working collaboratively with admin from Dining and Financial aid to break down barriers to accessing food and laundry won over the student body.

Within three semesters, I had already secured administrative support for free laundry, provided free parking permits for low-income students, and laid the foundation for a pathway program that allowed First-Gent students to access internships. However, I wanted my impact to reach further than my campus. So I decided to major in International Relations, enroll in some of the most challenging courses that Tufts had to offer, and apply to the Congressional Black Caucus Internship.

Fast-forward, I’m walking my congressman through underground tunnels to the house floor and bantering with Congresswomen Beatty and Plaskett in golf carts. In DC, I learned the importance of humbling yourself while serving others. Doing such just by making myself available to learn from anyone, even people the same age as myself, allowed me to publish three self-written documents into the Congressional Record and usher Symone Sander’s wedding and be in Vogue. All of this is possible just by understanding that I have so much to learn, and humility will help me learn it.

The principles of service and humility modeled by my parents and bolstered by the experiences I have had will make me the leader I want to be for my community. It has allowed people to buy into and support my mission to improve marginalized communities, and it will propel me to excel in any position I’m in, whether on campus, in the nation’s capital, or at an embassy abroad. Service, humility, and grit will get me there.