3…2…1…Blast Off!: Onyedika Onuorah ’22 to Jump from the Liberal Arts to Engineering, and then to Space – Bowdoin News

With the assistance of EducationUSA, a program run by the US Department of State that helps international students apply to colleges in the United States, Onuorah learned about Bowdoin.

"EducationUSA helped with my application because my parents could not afford it. So EducationUSA paid for my SATs, gave me tutoring, and gave advice on schools I should apply to. They advised I apply to Bowdoin. So I applied early decision, and I got in!

Arriving at Bowdoin without knowing anyone was a little lonely in the early days, but Onuorah says he now has a large support system that consists of his host family, his first-year floormates, the THRIVE program, his academic advisor Vlad Douhovnikoff, and student clubs like Africa Alliance.

Since his first year at Bowdoin, Onuorah has also been doing research with Douhovnikoff, an associate professor of biology, onticks and river ecology. This summer, they'refocused on monitoring the Androscoggin River, which runs by Brunswick, to prove that the river needs better regulation due to its existing wildlife.

Onuorah says that he believes his three years at Bowdoin have prepared him academically, socially, and culturally to succeed at Dartmouth and into his future. The classes I took at Bowdoin were really tough and I feel like that will prepare me for anything, he said.

Not that he doesn't have a touch of nerves at the prospect of starting anew at Dartmouth. "Bowdoin has always felt protective and leaving Bowdoin and going to another place, it does feel like being a freshman all over again," he said.

However, he's gained a valuable piece of wisdom since coming to study in the United States, one he passes on to others: "Just go for it and seek discomfort."

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3...2...1...Blast Off!: Onyedika Onuorah '22 to Jump from the Liberal Arts to Engineering, and then to Space - Bowdoin News