The Basics
Name: Uchechi Iteogu
Hometown: Macon, Georgia
Majors: Political Science, pre-medical student
College/Year: CC ‘15
Uche Iteogu, CC’15, loves Columbia University.
Her journey to finally get to Columbia was a long one. In fact, on the last day Uche could enroll for the Class of 2015, there was already a deposit ready for another school. But on that morning, Uche woke up thinking, “What the hell am I doing?!” and enrolled at Columbia University. As she says this, Uche laughs the laugh of someone who knows what a good decision looks like. Not even Hurricane Irene could get in the way of Uche’s dream. Freshman year, her flight to New York was cancelled, but and a generous offer from a neighbor got her to the school of her dreams eighteen hours later—via road trip from her home of Georgia.
Josh Groban’s song “Awake” helps Uche put her feelings toward and about Columbia in context. “Every time I look out [onto campus],” she says, “even if I’m really busy, I think of that song and wonder what life would’ve been had I not come here. I’ve met some of the most amazing people here…and sometimes you look out of the window and you say ‘Oh my God, this place is so beautiful in every way, shape, and form.’” At this, she pauses to stop her welling tears.
Uche, a self proclaimed “Southern gal” who hails from Macon, Georgia, or, as she calls it, “the land of Honey Boo Boo,” loves New York and Columbia for the opportunities they have given her. If there’s anyone who knows how to “make a lot out of very little,” it’s Uche. Her motto has helped her excel in many different aspects of her life, from her year as a resident adviser (she’s only spent 25% of her budget!) to working 10 hours every day all summer before her freshman year so that she could attend Columbia University. Her resourceful attitude has paved the way for making the most of college.
A political science major and pre-medical student, Uche is currently enrolled in seven classes, plus P.E. Extraordinarily, she manages to balance such an intense academic curriculum with her extracurricular activities: being the chairwoman of the Capital Investment Fund, a representative on the finance committee in Student Council (with plans to run for Vice President of the Class of 2015), a mentor in the Columbia Mentoring Initiative, a member of the African Students Association, and an RA for John Jay. Suprisingly, this all gets done with a smile on her face.
Still, Uche found the time in her packed schedule to do yet another extraordinary thing: last month, she attended President Obama’s second inauguration. She spent eight months working for Obama for America, President Obama’s reelection campaign, and, as a result of her work on the campaign as a Fellow, was invited to the exclusive ceremony in Washington D.C. She applied to the fellowship for the campaign and underwent intensive training during the chaos of Columbia final week, but, despite the stress, successfully joined the ranks of the New York Obama Organizing Fellows.
From what Uche tells me, campaigning was hard work—about 68 hours a week—but from the stories she tells, it was worth it. Her favorite part of it all was “knocking on doors and talking to people, because [she] got to learn the struggle people are going through.” With pride in her voice, Uche relays the stories of people she met during the campaign: it’s clear that this is someone who enjoys making a difference, who sincerely cares about helping Americans gain a voice in government. In shock, she tells me of a man who had been out of work for ten years after serving in prison. The Pennsylvania man “didn’t even know who the president was.” As a result, Uche sat with him for an hour and half, filling him in on both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s visions and plans for the United States, and helped him decide in which America he wanted to live. Finally, so the man could participate in the election, Uche led him to the closest DMV, helped him obtain a valid ID, and registered him to vote.
Uche wears her “Obama bracelet every day to remind her of the amazing time she had on the campaign” and keep the memories of the people she helped fresh in her mind. Her best friend, Katherine Hutto, handmade the bracelet, which reminds her “of the true meaning of grassroots organizing.” The campaign was so special because it was “amazing to meet people who are enthusiastic about something, someone, or someone’s vision.” Uche follows this philosophy in her own life: she commits herself fully and enthusiastically to whatever she does.
Her positivity and ability to relate to people will take her far in her goals of attending Mount Sinai School of Medicine after graduation. Before that, though, she wants to work for Hillary Clinton’s political campaign “if/when she decides to run.”
Who knows where Uche’s dreams will take her? Right now, it seems like she’s living them. In her words, “When I applied to this school, I didn’t know much about it, but it seemed liked a dream. I’ve been here for a year and a half and it still feels like a dream. I’ll never get used to it.” With her boundless energy, enthusiasm, and capacity for hard work, I can’t wait to see all of the places Uche goes in life if she keeps on following—and living—her dreams.