Nigerian Breaks Academic Record At John Hopkins
University
A 22-year-old Nigerian has emerged one of the top
graduating students of John Hopkins University in the
United States. He obtained a Grade Point Average of
3.98 out of a possible 4.0 to earn a degree in
Neurosciences, SEGUN OLUGBILE writes.
A 22-year-old Nigerian, Emmanuel Ohuabunwa, has
made history at John Hopkins University, United States
of America. Ohuabunwa from Arochukwu, Abia State,
has done the nation proud by becoming the first black
man to make a Grade Point Average of 3.98 out of 4.0
to bag a degree in Neurosciences in the university. He
was also adjudged as having the highest honours
during the graduation that was held on May 24 this
year.
For his efforts, he has won a scholarship to Yale
University to pursue a degree in medicine. Besides, he
has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Society, a
prestigious honour group that features membership of
17 US Presidents, 37 US Supreme Court Justices, and
136 Nobel Prize winners.
According to Wikipedia, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is
an academic honour society. Its mission is to
“celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts
and sciences” and induct “the most outstanding
students of arts and sciences at America’s leading
colleges and universities.”
It was founded at The College of William and Mary on
December 5, 1776, and thus it is the oldest honour
society for the liberal arts and sciences and among the
oldest undergraduate societies in the US.
In an online interview with our correspondent,
Ohuabunwa, who was born in Okota, Lagos and
attended Lilly Fields Primary School, Lagos, said he left
Nigeria after his junior secondary school education at
Air Force Comprehensive School, Ibadan, Oyo State.
“My parents moved the whole family when I was 13
years old. I was about to begin SS1 at Air Force,
Ibadan. When I got to the US, I was enrolled with my
age mates, which meant at 13, I was in middle school.
I went to Fondren Middle School, which was in the
middle of the ghetto. That was one of the darkest
years for me because I encountered a lot of peer
pressure. Some of the students, ignorant about Africa,
bullied me and called me names such as ‘African booty
scratcher’ because to them, Africans were dirty and
scratched their butts all the time.
“Some asked me if I lived in mud huts and ate faeces
for breakfast. I remember one day, when I was walking
to the school bus, a boy came from behind and
punched me in the face, called me an African and
walked away. It took everything in me not to retaliate.
I knew that God had put me in the U.S for a purpose
and it did not involve fighting or selling drugs or doing
the wrong things.
“My experience during that year gave me a thick skin.
I learned to stand for what I thought was right even
when the opposition seemed insurmountable. I also
learned to look at the positive in all situations. Even
though these kids were bullying me, I was still gaining
an opportunity to school in America and nothing would
stop me from making the best of this opportunity.
“The shocker was that the kid that punched me in the
face was black. I would have expected the blacks to be
nicer to me. Nevertheless, I don’t blame those kids
because they were ignorant about Africa. All they
knew about us was the stuff they had watched on TV
or documentaries, showing primitive African tribes,
living in the jungle and making noises like monkeys.
“In regards to the whites, there might have been some
minor episodes but again I don’t blame them for it
because it is a problem with stereotypes,” he said.
But in spite of this humiliation and racial prejudice
against him, the first in a family of three was not
discouraged. He faced his studies and was always
coming top in his class. After he completed his middle
school education, he passed the entrance examination
to DeBakey High School for Health Professions. It was
at this school that his interest in neurosciences and
medicine started.
“By the second year of high school, we were able to
interact with doctors, nurses and other administrators
in the hospital. The more I learned about medicine, the
more it felt like the thing God was calling me to pursue
and by being in the US I got a lot of people to support
me to do this. Even though in high school, I got to see
first-hand what it meant to be a doctor. We studied
advanced anatomy and physiology, learned medical
terminology, and learned important skills, such as
checking blood pressure, pulse rate, and many more.
“I knew I wanted to go to the best school in the US. I
had heard that Johns Hopkins Hospital had been
ranked the number one hospital in the US for the past
21 years and I wanted to be in that environment.’’
Worried that his parents might not be able to sponsor
him to the university, Ohuabunwa purposed to work
very hard. He did and when the result of the PSAT
came, he performed so well that he won the National
Achievement Scholar.
By virtue of this award, he received certificates of
recognition from various organisations including
senators from the Congress of both Texas and the US.
He also received scholarship from the University of
Houston; Rice University, Texas A&M Honors College
and many more.
He had also won the Principal’s Award during the
annual awards ceremony at DeBakey High School.
“During our graduation ceremony at DeBakey, I also
won the Award for the Most Outstanding Senior Young
Man and the student volunteer award for my volunteer
activities in the State of Texas,” he said.
But his breakthrough came when he won the Bill and
Belinda Gates Foundation full scholarship to any
university of his choice. He worked hard and gained
admission to Johns Hopkins University to study
Neurosciences.
But why Neurosciences, Ohuabunwa said, “I studied
Neuroscience, because I was fascinated with the brain,
its control of our behaviours and how various diseases
such as Alzheimer’s disease, lead to a decline in its
activity. I also minored in Psychology because I wanted
to understand disorders in the psyche. What causes
bipolar disorders or schizophrenia. I did not just want
to label them as crazy but to understand what causes
these conditions and how we can treat them,’’ he
explained.
But what does he consider to be the missing links in
the education sector of Nigeria when compared with
that on offer in US, Ohuabunwa said unpredictable
academic calendar, corruption, examination
malpractice and inadequate funding were some of the
problems confronting his home country’s university
sector. These, he said, were absent in the US.
“There were a few problems with Nigerian higher
education that contributed to our emigration in 2003.
The first was the number of strikes that occurred in
schools. It took my uncle seven years to graduate with
a degree that should have taken him only four years. A
second problem was the corruption. We had heard of
people going into universities, because they paid
someone to look the other way. I also heard of a few
cheating scandals, where people would pay someone
to take their exams for them or get a copy of the exam
a few days before,” he said.
But is he saying that US university system has no such
problems at all? Ohuabunwa said, “Although this
sometimes occurs in the U.S, it is less common
because of the strict security. I remember when taking
the Medical College Admissions Test, test required
before one can matriculate into medical school, each
student had to get his fingerprints taken every time
we entered and left the hall. The whole place was
packed with cameras and security staff that monitored
everything we were doing. The exam was
computerised to make sure that no one saw the test
before the actual date.”
Another difference, he said, is that America rewards
hard-work while the system also emphasises on a
balance between academic life and extracurricular
activities.
On how he won the scholarship to Yale, Ohuabunwa
said his 3.98 GPA in Neurosciences, and many awards
he had won and God’s grace, contributed to his
winning the scholarship.
“As at the time of my application for medical school, I
had a 3.98 GPA of a 4.0. This made me the only black
student inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. I
was also awarded the Becker Family Scholarship for
being the most outstanding student in the
Neuroscience major at Johns Hopkins University.
Furthermore, by God’s grace, I took the MCAT and
scored in the top five percentile.
“That, combined with my hours of volunteer service in
different hospitals across the US allowed me to gain
acceptance into every medical school I applied to,
including Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and
Cornell. As the time came to make a decision, I had
narrowed it down to Harvard and Yale. Both schools, I
enjoyed visiting. Nevertheless, while my parents
prayed, they asked God to give us a sign of what
school to attend. A few days later, I received a letter
from Yale Medical School, offering me a full ride
scholarship for all four years. That was the sign from
God,” he said.
But would he come back to Nigeria after the
completion of his programme, he said yes.
“I am absolutely interested in the health care policy
decisions in Nigeria. Because there are many changes
that need to occur, I will not rule out the possibility of
coming back after my studies, in order to join hands
with the leaders to make these changes possible.’’
He added that his ambition is to become a medical
doctor specialising in brain surgery.
“Two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away after a
long battle with strokes. Even during emergencies, it
was difficult for her to get to the hospital, let alone get
treatment. This is a common theme not only in the
health care system of Nigeria, but in different
countries in the world, where the poor get neglected.
“Second, Nigerian hospitals lack the infrastructure
required to compete with major hospitals around the
world. It would be an honour to one day contribute to
this transformation that is necessary for
improvements in Nigeria’s health care sector,” he said.
He, however, advised Nigerian youths who have the
wherewithal, to go abroad to study. Ohuabunwa also
called on wealthy Nigerians to invest more in the
education of the poor rather than in acquisition of
material things.
Ohuabunwa, however, said that his parents, who he
described as his greatest role models, contributed a lot
to his academic feat through Godly training, counsel
and guidance. He also did not forget the impact that
his short stay at Air Force school had on him.
“I was definitely not the brightest at Air Force. At that
time, I felt like I spent more time running away from
seniors than focusing on my studies. Nevertheless, I
learned three things at Air Force that have served me
well in the US. I learned discipline, adaptability and
resilience. These attributes helped me a lot in US,” he
said.
http://www.punchng.com/education/nigerian-breaks-
academic-record-at-john-hopkins-university/
What do you have to say to emmanuel?

Nigerians Breaking Records Since 1 B.C