“Would the future me appreciate what I’m doing right now? I keep in mind that I am going to be affected by the decisions I make now.” NinaAnnette Ndonwi (11) tells herself this every time she loses focus from what she is meant to be doing.
Ndonwi has held a 4.0 in most of her high school career, and for obvious reasons. Ndonwi’s focus is never taken off of school, and the success that she is hoping to achieve. The question is, “What success is she putting all of her work into to achieve?”
The drive that Ndonwi upholds is rooted from her interest in life on earth. “I want to study biology and maybe get a career in biostatistics,” Ndonwi said. “I’m interested in biology and how life works.”
Ndonwi’s interest in biology gives her an idea of what she wants to do in the future.
Ndonwi’s working strengths came from her admiration she has for her parents. “My parents were my biggest inspiration,” Ndonwi said. “They are very educated and very smart. They are very good examples for me.”
Ndonwi’s ambition and determination is not only from her own personality, but also from her upbringing. She inherits these qualities from her parents.
Not only does Ndonwi get her hard working quality from her parents, she also got her love for Biology from parents. “My mom has a career in biology and seeing her work would interest me,” she said.
Being able to observe some of the things her mom would work with, Ndonwi got a liking for the things her mom did herself.
This intriguement Ndonwi had for Biology began recently. Ndonwi stated that she began wanting to go down the career path as recently as the winterbreak of sophomore year.
Ndonwi alongside her study for Biology, also enjoyed the idea of using art in the medical field.
While Ndonwi wanted to go to college to major in Biology, she also planned on having art as her plan B if she needed it. “I was also interested in medical illustration. That was something that interested me along with Biology,” Ndonwi stated. “I like to draw, and I like art. So if the whole biostatistics thing didn’t work out, I could do that as well.”
Wanting more practice in Biology, Ndonwi began looking into outside sources. “Ways I try to improve my strength in Biology would be to join programs that teach me more about the content and specific things I would need to do. This summer, I joined the SEPA summer program at WASHU which taught me a lot!” Ndonwi said.
Ndonwi’s GPA and grades are a big advantage for getting into good colleges, although, Ndonwi also has an older brother that has experience. “My brother is already in college, and he helps me with what classes I should take, and how to get scholarships,” Ndonwi stated.
Having an older brother that already knows the ins and outs of surviving college gives Ndonwi a boost for the future.
Many students have the worry of what they will be successful in doing after high school, and whether they even want to attend college. But Nina Ndonwi has a pathway already drawn out for her.
Ndonwi may be a determined student, wanting a successful career path ahead of her, but she is also a teenage girl who has things she loves to do outside of school.
“Either reading or watching shows/movies is probably my favorite thing to do. I love the way I can read and get immersed in different stories where I can laugh, cry, or cheer for the characters.” Ndonwi said. “Some more things I like doing out of school include things like reading books and webtoons, drawing, catching up on shows I like, and playing Sims4 as well!” Ndonwi said.
