Chukwuma Charles Okafor is a First-Class Graduate of Civil Engineering from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike where he was the best graduating student in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. With four research papers and a conference paper to his name, Chukwuma is a published author in several journals, a Woltosz Fellow, and an MTN Science and Technology Scholarship Scheme scholar. In 2019, Chukwuma became an Opportunity Funds Scholar and received four funded offers worth over $90,000. He accepted a fully funded fellowship to Auburn University worth over $30,000 per year for his PhD in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Geotechnical Engineering. Chukwuma says "none of these would have been possible without the proper guidance and assistance offered by the EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program."

Chinenye Ifebirinachi graduated from the University of Benin, Nigeria with first-class honors in Mathematics. She held several leadership positions in the Rotaract Club of UNIBEN and in the Road Safety Club during her NYSC. Chinenye was selected as an OFP scholar and by working with EducationUSA Lagos, she secured a full scholarship from a public health research center (Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s, Aging and Community Health – COAACH) in North Carolina A & T State University in 2019. She is working on a Ph.D. in Data Science and Analytics. This scholarship came with full summer employment for the duration of her program and in her first six months, she is on her way to publishing her first two articles with the center. Her projects are centered on the application of data science and machine learning techniques to understand the transmission dynamics of some aging and community diseases (Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and even the novel COVID 19). Her work also focuses on studying the disparity of some of these health conditions on the minority groups in the U.S. In her words: “EducationUSA is one of the best things that happened to me…as an EducationUSA scholar, you do not have to go at it alone. You will be granted access to the best human resources (EducationUSA Advisors), the right information, and materials to get you through all the stages of application. My time in this community taught me a lot of self-development, growth, determination, and hard work.

Chukwubuikem Chikweze

Federal Government Academy, Suleja

University of Rochester

Chukwubuikem Chikweze is a 2019 Opportunity Funds scholar. Through the Opportunity Funds program, he was able to secure a scholarship of over $77,000 (30 Million Naira)/year to pursue his bachelor in Computer Science at the University of Rochester.

Chikweze took two years to realize his dream after he graduated from Federal Government Academy in Suleja in 2017. He applied for the program the subsequent year and was accepted. Before joining the program, Chikweze was working as a computer science tutor at a Cyber Cafe in his hometown in Anambra.

Daniel Kalu graduated from Birrel Avenue Senior High School, Lagos as the valedictorian and senior prefect. He is a 2019 EducationUSA Lagos Opportunity Funds Scholar currently studying computational science at Minerva Schools at KGI. Daniel is passionate about technological innovation. He was accepted into NASA L'SPACE Academy for summer 2021, co-founded Product School at Minerva (A student initiative helping students to develop and refine their business ideas) and is the co-founder and technical lead at One Energy Hub (a group of students raising money to build systems to provide access to tech education and innovation opportunity to marginalized communities). Their first project is building a floating hackerspace on the Makoko waterfront (Nigeria’s floating slum).

Emmanuel Nwanno

University of Benin

Florida International University, PhD Physics

Emmanuel Nwanno is a  2019 Opportunity Funds Scholar. Through EducationUSA, Emmanuel is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Physics at Florida International University on a fully funded assistantship worth $49,000 (20 Million Naira) per annum. Emmanuel is a First Class graduate of the University of Benin. He is a published author and was the Best Graduating Student in the department.

Emmanuel is the first in his family to graduate from university. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the United States, thanks to the Opportunity Funds program.

After emerging the best student in the 2013 edition of the Awokoya Chemistry Competition in Delta State, Ephraim enrolled in the Plant Biology and Biotechnology program at the University of Benin, where he graduated with a first-class degree. Also, he won the prestigious Federal Ministry of Education scholarship award as well as an award of excellence from the Student Christian Movement of Nigeria. After graduation, Ephraim interned with the Environmental Biotechnology and Sustainability Research Group (EBSR). Through this medium, he published three international research papers as well as a local research paper. Also, Ephraim won the best research and presentation award during the third edition of the University of Benin annual research conference (UBARD). Furthermore, he emerged as a finalist in the 2018 edition of the MasterCard Foundation scholarship at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In 2018, Ephraim applied for the EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program (OFP). And through this medium, he obtained a fully-funded scholarship worth over $28,000 annually to pursue graduate studies in the U.S. A first generation student, Ephraim is currently en route to acquiring a doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in Genetic Engineering (Biotechnology) at Iowa State University. He says “EducationUSA has taught me to dream beyond the horizon and shut out negativities from my mind.”

Farouk Haroun

Federal Government Academy, Suleja

Vanderbilt University

Farouk Haroun is a 2019 Opportunity Funds Scholar. Farouk graduated from Federal Government Academy Suleja with distinctions. Through the Opportunity Funds program, Farouk received a full scholarship worth over $78,000 (~29 Million Naira)/year to study Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Farouk served in various positions while at FedAcad captaining the table tennis and soccer teams, and was the Headboy and JETS club president. He is interested in machine learning and autonomous systems.

Fortune Emmanuel-King

Word of Faith Group of Schools, Benin

Northwestern University

Fortune Emmanuel-King is a 2019 Opportunity Funds Scholar. Through the EducationUSA Opportunity Funds program, Fortune secured a full scholarship worth over $81,000(30 Million Naira)/year to study Electrical Engineering at Northwestern University. Fortune was only able to attend Word of Faith Schools Benin from Kindergarten to High School through the help of scholarships he received that were renewable every year by topping his class consistently. He is a National Olympiad Double Gold Medalist, Cowbellpedia State Champion, and Seplat Exceptional and Reliable Leader award recipient, amongst other honors. He also founded the Agape Tutorials( an 80-student member math tutorial). He served as the National Teenage President of the Agape Force Ministries, assistant head boy, JETS club president, Quiz club President, and Press Club president. Fortune is now pursuing his dream of studying electrical engineering with a focus on quantum computing and artificial intelligence, thanks to the Opportunity Fund Program.

Isaac Ogabiela earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering degree from the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He graduated with First Class Honours. He worked as a Lean Six Sigma Coordinator with De-United foods industries ltd., Lagos and interned with T.Y. Plastics Limited as a Chemical Engineering Intern. Isaac is an EducationUSA Alumnus and a Graduate Opportunity Funds Scholar who is currently at the University of Massachusetts Amherst pursuing a doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering. He works as a Graduate Research Assistant in Heterogeneous Catalysis and Aldol Reactions.

Ismail Adigun Olayemi

Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

Bowling Green State University, MSc Statistics

Ismail Olayemi is a 2019 Opportunity Funds Scholar. Ismail graduated with a First class in Economics from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta. Ismail is now pursuing his Masters in Statistics at Bowling Green State University with funding worth over $29,000. Ismail was sponsored by the Economics department to present at the 56th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Economic Society of Nigeria, where he discussed the Nigerian unemployment challenges and solutions by modifying the popular Okun’s law. After graduation, he got a research assistantship position at Centre for Econometric and Allied Research, University of Ibadan where he collaborated with his professors and published 5 research articles in Economics and Econometrics in top journals.

Through the support of the Opportunity Funds Program, Ismail will be pursuing a Masters degree in Statistics with a specialization in Business Analytics.

Joseph Eniafe

Obafemi Awolowo University

Louisiana State University Health Science Center, Shreveport, PhD Microbiology

Joseph Eniafe is a 2019 Opportunity Funds Scholar. Joseph is the first in his family to graduate university. Despite the hardship he faced growing up, he graduated as the overall best student in the faculty of sciences at Obafemi Awolowo University with a degree in Microbiology. Through the support of the program he received several offers to pursue his graduate studies, including a $26,500 (~10 Million Naira)/year research assistantship position to pursue his PhD at Louisiana State Uni Health Science Center LSU Health Shreveport .

According to Joseph, “If I was asked two years ago how I hope to secure a scholarship for my post-graduate studies abroad, I really wouldn't have been able to come up with a definite, workable plan. With EducationUSA, I did not only learn about the great opportunities that abound to secure a scholarship in the US; I was also guided step by step throughout the application process. Really, I could not have done this on my own!”

Joshua Gbodi

Federal Government Academy Suleja

Vassar College

Joshua Gbodi is a 2019 Opportunity Funds scholar who received over $78,000 (Over 28 Million Naira)/year scholarship to attend  Vassar College. Joshua is a First-Generation student who graduated from Federal Government College Suleja with 7A1s and 2Bs in WAEC. He represented his school and won several prizes in competitions such as NNPC, PTDF, and SPAK Science competitions. Joshua is also an artist. He plays the guitar and draws. Joshua hopes to study Biochemistry at Vassar and plans to use his knowledge to improve the health sector in Nigeria.

Joy Amajioyi started with obtaining an OND from Yaba College of Technology. She then went on to obtain her Bachelors and Masters and graduated with First Class Honours from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). She was the best graduating student in her department of crop, soil and pest management in 2015. She did her NYSC with the Department of Biology, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt and also interned with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). In August 2017, she was selected as an Opportunity Funds Scholar. After working diligently on her applications, she got admitted to South Dakota State University for a fully funded MSc-PhD track in Plant Science where she is working as a Graduate Research Assistant. She is passionate about research for development (R4D) which supports the discovery and implementation of new ideas for reducing poverty, ensuring food security and improving lives around the world.

Juliet Onyekachi Okpasuo graduated with First-Class Honors and as the Best Graduating Student in Zoology and Environmental Biology in 2014 and a Master’s degree in Parasitology and Public Health from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. As a graduate assistant, she had five publications in international articles and has attended several academic conferences. Juliet was selected as an Opportunity Funds Scholar, and working with EducationUSA Lagos, she received admissions to three fully funded PhD programs in the U.S. Juliet is currently studying Molecular Pathogenesis and Therapeutics at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Sharing her experience, she stated, “EducationUSA taught me to be determined, committed, and unrelenting in the pursuit of my goals”.

Kenneth Ekpetere

University of Abuja 

University of Kansas, MSc-PhD Geography

Kenneth Ekpetere is a 2019 Opportunity Funds Scholar. From humble backgrounds, Kenneth was determined to attend university, so he worked to pay his way through school. He took advantage of every opportunity in school and not only graduated with a First Class in Geography but was also the overall best graduating student at the University of Abuja in 2016. As a recent graduate, Kenneth already had seven publications to his name, several in international journals. Through the program, Kenneth secured four fully-funded offers to pursue his graduate studies in the United States. Today, Kenneth is not only the first in his family to graduate university; he is pursuing his Ms-PhD in Geography at the University of Kansas with a graduate assistantship of over $35,000 per annum