Nigerians are stellar students at US-based Bowie University – Officials

Nigerians studying at the Bowie State University, State of Maryland, U.S., are exceptionally good students, some officials of the university, have said.

The officials told the correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that about 1,000 Nigerian students -100 international and 900 residents were studying at the university.

Prof. Cosmas Nwokeafor, the Dean of Graduate School of the university told NAN that Nigerian students were outstanding both in academics and in character.

“We have a very large number of Nigerian students here at Bowie State University; most of our Nigerian students are majoring in Computer Science and Organisational Communications and many other programmes.

“And Nigerians have actually performed very well and I can tell you because I’ve been in this university for 25 years.

“When you look at the list of performance, our students have been stellar students in all facets of our graduate programmes as well as the undergraduate too.

“In most areas, many of our students have completed their degree programmes here both the undergraduate and graduate, and have advanced in other major professional fields out there.

“Their character, my goodness, if I would speak about their character based on the ones that work very close with me, you can see the difference.

“When you meet Nigerian students, you can tell they are wellmannered, very humble, respectful and mindful of their business, which is of course their education.

“Among all, there might be one or two that do not actually portray what we expect of them but a majority has actually demonstrated excellence and that represents Nigeria very well.”

Nwokeafor said that many Nigerians who had completed their programmes in the university were medical doctors.

“We also have a huge number of Nigerian students who either have permanent residence here in the United States or they have gotten their citizenship.

“But they may have been born in Nigeria or their parents were born in Nigeria and they (students) were born here as little children but raised as Nigerians.

“We have 1,000 of the total 5,600 we have here, the 100 being on students’ visa and the other 900 being permanent residents or citizens of the U.S.”

Mrs Amina AyodejiOgundiran, a Human Resource Development Master student at the university, said “we are very family-oriented; we know ourselves here on campus irrespective of being in different departments.”

Ayodeji-Ogundiran, who is President of the Graduate Students Association and served on the Graduate Board at the university, said they were the second largest population after the Saudi Arabian students. (NAN)