Becky is an apartment assistant for Buell Apartments on the Busch Campus. A first year medical student from Howell, N.J., she recently earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers in biological sciences with a minor in Africana studies. Following medical school she plans to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynecology or pediatrics.
On becoming a resident assistant (RA)…
During my freshman year was RA was amazing. I was anxious and awkward as a freshman and she really helped me feel more comfortable. She was always happy and able to impact people and liked to hang out and talk. You can really impact people’s lives as a RA. We still talk to this day and she’s still a part of my life.
On medical school...
I always wanted to go to medical school. The day I was born, my mom walked out the hospital and saw a sign in front of her for ‘Rebecca’s Pediatrics.’ She told my dad, ‘That’s going be her when she grows up.’ When I was ten, I got my first doctor kit for my birthday. I remember my cousin coming over and she pretended to be the nurse while I pretended to be the doctor. We were playing on a teddy bear in my basement when I remembered my cousin asking me if I wanted to become a doctor one day and I was like, ‘I want to be the first doctor in our family.’ I’ve never wanted to do anything else.
On the medical field...
I’ve always tried to have a positive impact on others in any way possible. As a future medical professional, I have the power to impact and help someone’s health. I also like to take that extra step to get to know and talk to patients. The ability to make a difference and possibly save someone’s life is what really drew me in [to the field]. I like to make my patients feel like someone cares about them. In healthcare it’s not only about dealing with patients physically, but dealing with them emotionally.
I recently visited Lakeview School in Edison working with students that suffer from life threatening conditions. I remember it was during exam week and I was having a tough and stressful time with school and work. I went to the school and got to listen to all their stories. These kids were really smart and were able to do amazing things. It was a reality check for me that life is really precious and to never take it for granted. You don’t really realize how much you take for granted every day until you talk to someone that’s not in as great of a position as you. Experiencing this made me much prouder that all the long hours of studying is going to be worth it. It was an amazing experience.
On philanthropy...
My dad moved to America by himself when he was 19. For a time he was homeless, but my dad was finally able to get a part-time job and went to school. He was then able to bring my mom from Nigeria over with him. They struggled for my siblings and I to have a better life. Now my dad is a CEO of a company. Seeing my parents come from nothing and make it into something is a driving force for my siblings and I.
I’m really happy that I went through the struggle. It raised me to become the type of person that wants to give back and pay it forward. It is something that not everybody has an opportunity to do. Being privileged, is not a bad thing, it’s how you decide what you do with your privilege.
I grew up in the church and community service is huge to me. Every Sunday we would volunteer at a nursing home. We also got to volunteer at a battered women’s shelter. At a young age I was exposed to the many issues of the world and I learned there are many people that are less fortunate than myself. It really stuck with me.
On EmpowHER...
I recently started an organization called EmpowHer. Going through school, my friend and I felt that there is no platform for women. I’ve talked to many younger students and a lot of the women would always reach out to me about school work, guys, or faith. I realized going through college, there’s always talk about women bashing one another and there’s no straight guidance for them.
We thought there should be platform for women to empower and uplift one another. We want to work on empowering females of all age groups. We just had our first meeting and the turnout and outcome was wonderful. We’re planning on holding workshops, conferences, and retreats. We’re also trying to work on a mentoring aspect with the New Brunswick High School to help guide students and pay it forward.
