Chinelo Izzuka is a sophomore biology major form South Brunswick, N.J. Being half Russian and half Nigerian, she is no stranger to traveling abroad. This past winter break, she journeyed to Nigeria to visit her grandmother and ended up volunteering in her father’s native village.
Chinelo is fluent in Russian and has traveled to Russia many times for summer vacation to visit family. But she had only been to Nigeria once. When she went to Nigeria for the first time she was too young to remember anything about her trip. So, when her father presented the opportunity to visit Nigeria again over her winter break, Chinelo jumped at the opportunity to see her Nigerian family. Luckily for her the weather in Nigeria is still super hot in the winter.
While Chinelo was connecting with her Nigerian heritage she could not help but notice how privileged her life in America is. Nigeria ranks third among countries with the highest population of poor people and when Chinelo heard this she asked her father what she could do to help. As an aspiring physician, Chinelo strives to help people wherever she goes and Nigeria was no exception. This experience has only solidified Chinelo’s aspiration to be a physician, as she wants to continue to help others everyday of her life.
She began her work by making meals to give to locals and collecting canned goods to give to families. Chinelo enjoyed enriching the lives of those less fortunate than her and believes that every small effort makes a huge difference. Chinelo said, “The gratitude that people showed me, was all that I need to let me know that I made a difference.” Seeing the effect she had on the community inspired her to try and get involved in more community service activities around the Philadelphia area.
Chinelo enjoys photography, lacrosse, and reading in her spare time. She also loves animals and is hoping to volunteer at an animal shelter in Philadelphia. One thing she regrets about her time in Nigeria was not getting to go to a preservation to see her favorite animal, the giraffe. Unfortunately, the preservation that she would have had to go to is in a dangerous part of Nigeria that is controlled by the terrorist group Boko Haran.
Chinelo’s favorite part of her winter break was meeting all of the family that she did not remember from her first trip to Nigeria. Spending a hot Christmas with her extended Nigerian family was one of her favorite experiences abroad. She is excited for her next opportunity to return to Nigeria and help more people as well as spend more time with her family.
Chinelo has already done some amazing things and will continue to strive to help people everywhere. The work she has done is truly inspiring and we are excited to see what she does next!