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Gregory Fornia
Director of Communications
400 Carnell Hall
1803 N. Broad Street (041-03)
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Phone: 215-204-2888
Fax: 215-204-1255
Email: communications.cst@temple.edu
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Onyemaechi Anoruo (BS ’12, Bio)
Earned UNCF/Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship, now studies global health issues
Born and raised in San Francisco,
Onyemaechi Anoruo (BS ’12, Bio) first
visited Temple University with a friend who
was touring colleges on the East Coast.“It was
Thanksgiving break and I tagged along,” says
Anoruo. “I thought it would be nice to get
away from the West Coast. For me, college is
an opportunity to venture out and see what
else is out there. Now, I love Temple.”
With medical school part of her future
plans, Anoruo majored in both biology and
Spanish. “With a fast-growing Spanishspeaking
population here in the United States,”
she says, “I think language skills are going to
be vital for tomorrow’s physicians.”
Anoruo also took part in CST’s
Undergraduate Research Program, which gets students into the lab to do real research with faculty. “I worked with Assistant Professor Rhonda Nicholson, looking at relationships between endonuclease RNA and another protein YmdB, which regulates the RNA in cells,” says Anoruo. “We looked at the protein complex that helps RNA regulation, the structure and what these proteins do.”
With research experience under her belt, Anoruo applied for a United Negro College Fund/Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Award. “When I applied I very much had a ‘what do I have to lose’ mindset,” remembers Anoruo. “I was thrilled—and surprised—when I was selected.”
The $25,000 scholarship includes a paid summer research internship working at Merck & Co.
“I conducted research on RNA therapeutics,” says Anoruo.“It was an extraordinary opportunity.”
Looking to expand her horizons again, Anoruo is now studying global healthcare issues
through the School of International Training. “I’ll be traveling to Switzerland, India, China and
South Africa,” says Anoruo, “comparing the community healthcare systems of each country.”
Next year, Anoruo will begin applying to medical school.“I’ve gone from wanting to do
pediatrics, then psychiatry, then oncology and now I’m thinking my specialty will be obstetrics,”
says Anoruo, whose interests keep evolving. “I’m keeping an open mind. When I get to med
school, I’ll explore and make the best choice for me.”
Anoruo thoroughly enjoyed her years in Philadelphia. “My Temple education was great,”
she says, noting how URP and other initiatives give students opportunities to excel outside of
the classroom. “For me, graduation was bittersweet. I am going to miss Temple.”