International Students from Africa

Brody Gasper

The University of Idaho in the fall of 2020 had 10,971 students enrolled, with 9,173 being undergraduates and 1,798 being graduate students.¹ From this pool, 475 international students were attending the University of Idaho, or roughly 4% of the total student population. The most considerable percentage of students from African nations came from Nigeria at 2.5 and Ghana at 0.6%. There also seems to be a pull from Kenya, though there were no recorded Kenyan students at U of I in 2020. Though the international African student population at U of I is relatively small, there have been quite a few African students and graduates over the years, with Winston Onyema being one of the first recorded at the school in 1956. As many international African students have attended U of I but have not had much recorded history at the university, this article will focus on those students who have made documented contributions during their time on campus.

Coming from Uganda, Faustinus Busulwa Kayiwa attended U of I starting in 1963, graduating in 1965 with his undergraduate degree.² William (Bill) George Kawamba also attended U of I during this same time frame as Kayiwa, graduating in 1965 with his Bachelor of Science in Geology. Ekundayo (Dayo) Ezekiel Fabiyi, hailing from Ilorin, Nigeria, began his undergraduate degree at the university in 1966, graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Geology. Fabiyi would come back to the university in 1975 to work on his master’s, which he would graduate with in 1977. Abdu H. Lasan also attended U of I during the same 1966-1969 school year as Fabiyi, though he instead graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Forestry and was also from the town of Jos, Nigeria. From the same town as Lasan, Sule Sylvanus Abula attended U of I from 1968-1969 for his Bachelor of Science in Forestry, and later his Masters in Wood Utilization in 1974. Johnson (John) Odu Ejie was also on campus at the same time as Abula during his undergraduate studies, getting his Bachelor of Science in Forestry.

During the 1970s at U of I, there were a recorded 30 African students who graduated from the university (including North Africa). Out of these, there are only three students who had enough documentation to record them here. During the 1972 to 1973 school year, Patrick M. Chipungu from Chilanga, Zambia, graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Forestry. From 1977 to 1981, Okonkwo Imo (from Nigeria) completed his undergraduate studies and received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Only a year later than Imo’s start, Bassey E. Isong would start his undergraduate studies, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Forest Products in 1981 alongside Imo. During the 1980s and 1990s, there were a further 105 graduates (including North Africa), but only two will be recorded here. Samuel (Sam) Koduah came to the university from Ghana in 1984, completing his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1985 and received his Master’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1987. Mamadou Gakou (from Mali) attended U of I from 1991-1992, earning his Master’s in Forestry.

After 2000, the number of African students attending the University of Idaho increased, and as such the number of graduates also increased. The first of these new graduates was James Fabiyi, who came to U of I from Nigeria and completed his Ph.D. in Wood Chemistry and Composites from 2004 to 2007. After his time at U of I, he completed his postdoc at Virginia Tech in 2010.³ From Owerri, Nigeria, Chimidi Ajaero attended Imo State from 2013 to 2017, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Architecture. He later attended the University of Idaho from 2019 to 2021, earning his Master of Architecture; he currently works at Tangent Limited as an Architect in training.⁴ Emmanuel Ijezie completed his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from 2014 to 2018, also serving as the president of the National Society of Black Engineers from 2017 to 2018. He later earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2021, and as of current he works as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Sunny Upstate Medical University Hospital in New York.⁵

Koffi Anderson Koffi came to U of I in 2015, where during the next five years he double majored, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Koffi continued his education, completing his Master’s in Computer Science in 2023, and is currently a Graduate Research Assistant at U of I.⁶ Frederick Shema came to U of I from Ethiopia, where he would study International Studies, International Relations, and Affairs from 2015 to 2019.⁷ After his undergraduate studies, Shema enrolled at the College of Law, where he still is today. Endalkachew Mengistie (from Ethiopia) has had quite an extensive Educational background, starting out at Bahir Dar University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 2008. After his undergraduate studies, he received four different Master’s degrees from 2010-2014 from Addis Ababa University, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, the University of Montpellier, and Universidad de Zaragoza. He would then earn his Ph.D. in Renewable Materials from U of I in 2022. He currently works as a Technical Support Engineer at ASML.⁸

Bibliography

• “U of I International Students& Information on International Students by Country at University of Idaho.” College Factual, March 15, 2023. https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/university-of-idaho/student-life/international/#chart-international.

• Chimdi Ajaero - architect in training - tangent limited, LinkedIn. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chimdi-ajaero.

• CollectionBuilder; Digital Initiatives, University of Idaho Library. “Browse.” U of I Commencement Programs, January 1, 1970. https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/commencement/browse.html.

• Emmanuel Ijezie - postdoctoral researcher - LinkedIn. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuel-ijezie-4b8151133.

• Endalkachew Mengistie - Technical Support Engineer - ASML, LinkedIn. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/endalkachew-mengistie-73618b38.

• Fredrick Shema - Youth Success Specialist - LinkedIn. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrick-shema-767557177.

• James Fabiyi - lecturing - university, LinkedIn. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://ng.linkedin.com/in/james-fabiyi-b08a4254.

• Koffi Anderson Koffi - Graduate Research Assistant - LinkedIn. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/koffi-anderson-koffi-251b2291.

• “University of Idaho Fall 2021 Student Enrollment up 4.7% Largest Freshman Class in Five Years.” Fall 2021 Student Enrollment Up 4.7% Largest Freshman Class in Five Years. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.uidaho.edu/news/news-articles/news-releases/2021-fall/101921-enrollment.

Notes