Favour Owowo, Biology

Favour Owowo is a natural-born leader, as evidenced by the way she lights up when talking about inspiring her younger sisters and passing on lessons she learned to new generations of Ospreys.

Owowo, a Biology major hailing from Union, is the eldest daughter of four children and carries a familial legacy to uphold in the medical field. Her family, particularly her mother, inspired her to follow and pursue her interests in science and the human body.

“My entire family has dabbled somewhere in medicine: my mom's a nurse, and my aunt is a doctor,” Owowo said. “I've always liked learning and knowing things, and the human body is full of information that you can discover. There are so many questions you can ask and so many answers you can find, and I had a family that supported my love for thinking and knowing, so it was a perfect fit.”

Her classes took her passion and learning forward. According to Owowo, Professor Patrick Hossay and his course on emergency medicine gave her a healthy push toward her goals.

“He challenges a new way of thinking that forces you, even though you're not a doctor, to think like one,” she said. “I was able to get an (emergency medical response) certification through that course and gained a lot of hands-on experience there, even though I was still an undergrad.”

Navigating academics while balancing her work as a Transition Activity Leader of New Students (TALONS) helped Owowo shed her reservedness, which, in turn, led to some full-circle moments with first-year students still working through anxiety about entering a new environment.

“There were students who reminded me of my siblings, but they were also pre-med like me, and they didn't know where to start or which classes to take, so I just gave them the same advice I needed,” Owowo said.

Although Owowo thrived throughout her time as a student – conducting important research on food quality and nutrition and enjoying the view from her room in Atlantic City’s Kesselman Hall – she found herself struggling to allow herself to receive help and support from others.

She has since learned the value of networking with and leaning on others, such as her peers and faculty members.

“It really helped finding other people who had the same experience,” Owowo said. “If I met somebody who was or currently is in medical school, and they're from a minority family or the first daughter, I would just ask questions, ‘How did you do it? What did you do?’ And sometimes, all you need is somebody to run to; that one good friend who just makes you feel like you're not going crazy. And I've met a lot of those here.”

While the road to her goal looks daunting, Owowo is ready for the next step in her journey. Having graduated from her program a year early, the Nigerian-American is eager to take the Medical College Admission Test, explore medical specialties and potentially study at Rutgers University.

“My top choice is Rutgers because it’s right here at home, and they work with the community that I live in, so I can have more of a personal interaction with both the community and the school,” Owowo said.