...Actually, there are just two weeks before finals start, but I'm ready to wrap up the semester. Definitely looking forward to the summer! During the winter months, I forget how warm the sun feels on my skin, and what the roads and house look like without piles of snow.
I also love when the spring truely sets in. More students hang out outside eating lunch or talking with friends and the whole campus seems so colorful.

This semester has definitely being one of its kind. I'm now an upperclass man (or person), which I thought would be a while in my freshman year. And being an upperclass person has its perks: I get to register early for my classes and so, can pick whatever times I like to fit my schedule. However, it is also the time to start thinking ahead and planning. Getting an internship, taking the GREs, LSAT or MCAT..It sometimes feels overwhelming, but I always remind myself that others before me have done, and so can I.

Last Friday (april 18), Chelsea Clinton was on campus at the Student Union (aka Walb Union) campaigning for her mother, Hillary Clinton, amongst IPFW students. I stayed for part of her address, but had to leave for class. According to most people, Indiana has been involved in the Democratic presidential primary, since John F. Kennedy! So, everyone here has been very excited. Oh well, we just have to wait and see who becomes the Democratic Nominee.

Posted by Nnenna Ezeilo at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the start of the week, an IPFW student was shot at an OFF CAMPUS apartment during a party. Just like all the sad stories we here often, the victim was an innocent bystander; apparently, he was not involved in the tussle that led to someone brandishing a gun, but he fell at the hand of that gun. I’m sure this, like every other fatal shooting incident, will vigorously revive the gun possession versus gun control controversy in the city.

Even though I did not know the victim, the one thing that struck me was he’s only 19 year old young man, who suddenly and unexpectedly, had his life taken away from him. Some people might say, “Well, be wise in choosing your crowd,” so you don’t end up in a situation like that. While that is definitely an advice to heed, should that be the all we learn from this? I asked myself, is it easier for us to hold memorials, light candles, when there’s a shooting victim than to confront the underlying social issues that lead to the shooting incident in the first place? Do we rather hold a service at church, commemorate the victim’s life, while vehemently condemning ‘those evildoers’? Next week comes around, the shooting incident is no longer on the news, and guess what? We forget about it! I’m not saying that all the above should not be done, but is it all we can really do?

What if we, as a society, invested more time in molding young minds, before they turn to alternative detrimental sources for guidance? You may think it is not your problem. To the contrary, it is as much their problem as it is your problem. We are all members of the same society and are, thus, interconnected. The child that could have been mentored grows up to become a menace to society. Whose fault is it? That child may have grown up in poverty; he/she may not have had access to adequate resources to facilitate their intellectual and social development. So, that child, who is now a teenager drops out of high school, may not return to earn a diploma and continues down the path of deviance.

My point is I think we should all give our time to out-of-school programs and help to mold young minds. Big Brother. Big Sister. YMCA: where ever you volunteer at an after school program, and mentor a child, just know that you are making a difference. What about you--- are you making a difference?

Posted by Nnenna Ezeilo at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wonder how many of you watch PBS. If you a regular viewer, then you may have caught the program titled “African American Lives.” You may recall seeing prominent African Americans such as Oprah, Don Cheadle, Diana Ross and Morgan Freedman have their ancestry traced all the way back to West Africa! How is that possible?! I wondered that too. I don’t know if you noticed the host, the older African American man who revealed the ancestry to the guest of the PBS show, but his name is Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. He is the (if I recall correctly) the chair of African and African-American Studies at Harvard.

Anyway, the great part of my story is that Dr. Gates was here on the IPFW campus! IPFW and the Honors Program hosts a series of big lectures during the semester and they have important people (scholars or overall charismatic people) come and speak to the students about their life’s work. We even had Samantha Powers on campus. She was the foreign policy advisor on the Obama campaign. So, Dr. Gates talked to us about how he had this ideas to trace African American history and how through perseverance, hard work, it culminated into this big project.
Here are some tips for tracing your ancestry:
1. Try making a family tree, starting from you and working backwards. Ask your grandparents about their own parents, and grandparents. Listen to their stories about old family members
2. Look for records, birth and death certificates, to fill out the farther parts of your ancestry. Then, “when the paper trail ends,” turn to DNA analysis. You will have to contact the company that does the analysis, they send you a kit, you take a cheek swab, and mail it. I believe, the company should have a database with DNA sequences from people from different ethnic groups in different countries across West Africa, across Western Europe and Native American too. They should get back to you with some information on your genetic make-up.

I had my book signed by Dr. Gates and also took pictures. I thought he gave a great lecture, with much humor, too. When you here at IPFW, you’ll be able to enjoy these great lectures and other fun activities .

Posted by Nnenna Ezeilo at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes, I know college classes are so much fun! I mean with all the assignments and tests, who wouldn't love college?I know I do..LoL. So, it was my birthday just last week, on February the 21, and I turned ..( you have to guess that yourself:). Starting at 12a.m., I received phonecalls from my Nigerian friends at other U.S. colleges. Back home, we always tried to be the first to wish the birthday person a happy birthday, so why not start at 12a.m.? Most of the times, a group of us got together at the dorms and counted down, while clapping "10,9,8..2,3..happy birthday..." ( I attended a boarding school).

At work, I received a cheesecake, courtesy of my lovely and energetic boss. And of course, my parents called to wish me a happy birthday and my sister sent me a text. Then, there was the numerous wall posts on my facebook profile. As part of celebrating my birthday, I decided to have a small party or get together over the weekend. So, I did what most college student would do when having a party: I created a facebook event. Modern technology puts a twist on all forms of social interaction! I didn't even have to really invite my friends by word of mouth; they just r.s.v.p.ed on facebook as attending, maybe attending or not attending. With that out of the way, the next item on my list was the enterntainment at my birthday celebration, as I like to call it.

I ended up with three dishes for my party, an hor d'ouevres and some drinks (non alcoholic of course:). My party started out slow, then more of my friends arrived and it was a blast. We ate, talked , took pictures and enjoyed some music. I literally spent all day Saturday making preparations for my party! As expected, I slept in on Sunday. After I was well rested, I did what every responsible college student should do: I returned to my school work! I had to catch up on my studying, since I had an Immunology exam the following Tuesday. That turned out to be a good decision, as you may have guessed. Remember, college is more than classes; there are fun activities you can engage it, but don't forget about your academic responisibilities though! They are quite central to your college career.

Posted by Nnenna Ezeilo at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You've taken the SATs, sent out your college applications and waited for a admission letter. Finally, you were accepted. Then, what next? How is college going to be? Will you make new friends easily; will you find your niche on campus; will you like your professors; how will your classes be? All these questions ran through my mind, but I was equally excited that I was going away to college. And when I say 'away,' I mean a continent across the Atlantic ocean away. Yep, that type of away. Anyway, this was going to be my second time in the United States and I enjoyed traveling. Besides, my brother who returned home from IPFW for the christmas break seemed okay. He showed no signs of stress or being overwhelmed, so, college must be okay.

After the new year, my brother and I took our flight from Abuja, Nigeria to London, then finally arrived at JFK, New York. Unfortunately, there were no flights from La Guardia to Fort Wayne around the time we would arrive in New York. So, off we went to the Port Authority and on the Grey Hound! That was the longest bus ride I have ever had in my whole life. It took about a day to arrive at Fort Wayne. Exhausted, yet excited to have reached my destination, I looked forward to seeing the IPFW campus.

Of course, I couldn't really navigate the campus on my own and my brother had to help me find my way. I met with my academic advisor, chose my classes and registered for them. I still remember my first class I had: it was Elementary Composition ( I was a little late :),but still summed up the courage to share an inclass writing with the rest of the class. I was eager to become a part of the IPFW campus.

Four semesters later, and I can say I have found my niche on campus. I have made friends both inside and outside of the classroom. And I have enjoyed my classes and the professors have been great so far! It's okay to feel nervous about going away to college, so do most of your freshman class. With time, you will participate in campus activities, join school organizations, and will come to enjoy your campus life too.

Posted by Nnenna Ezeilo at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)