Nigerian Maths Professor Excels in the US
- By Williams Ekanem
- Published July 29th, 2010
- News
- Unrated
MATHEMATICS is embedded in the DNA of Nkechi Madonna Adeleine Agwu. Her father, Jacob Agwu, was an economist and her mother, Europa Wilson Agwu, was a mathematics teacher. Daughter Nkechi is now in her 15th year as a mathematics professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, where she teaches everything from algebra to calculus. Yet she felt no pressure from her parents to pursue a career in math education, she says. “They simply encouraged me to obtain a good education,” she says.
At a very young age, Agwu saw first-hand the value of a solid education. In 1967, civil war erupted in Nigeria, forcing Europa Agwu to flee with five-year-old Nkechi and her siblings to Sierra Leone, where her own mother lived. They arrived in Sierra Leone only to discover that the grandmother’s house had burned down. Since Europa was the only one in the family with an education, it became her responsibility to find work and provide a new home for her family. “I saw how vital education was to advancing one’s circumstances,” Agwu says.
The Biafran War, as the civil war in Nigeria was called, lasted approximately two years and claimed hundreds of lives. Agwu and her family returned to Nigeria after the war ended and the country began to experience greater stability. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Nigeria and then migrated to the United States, where she received a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate in mathematics education from Syracuse University, with a minor in gender studies and multicultural education.
Today, Agwu loves to boast that she can “claim three countries as her home: Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the United States.”
Agwu is currently, president of the New York City branch of the American Association of University Women, a position she has held since July 2009. Founded in 1881, the parent association is a leading voice in the promotion of education and equity for women and girls. The New York City branch is housed in an historical building on 37th Street. As its president, Agwu leads its efforts in advancing the mission of AAUW through advocacy, research and education. She describes her agenda for the branch: “I especially want to ensure that the New York City branch reflects the value promise of the AAUW as an organization that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women will have a fair chance.”
At a very young age, Agwu saw first-hand the value of a solid education. In 1967, civil war erupted in Nigeria, forcing Europa Agwu to flee with five-year-old Nkechi and her siblings to Sierra Leone, where her own mother lived. They arrived in Sierra Leone only to discover that the grandmother’s house had burned down. Since Europa was the only one in the family with an education, it became her responsibility to find work and provide a new home for her family. “I saw how vital education was to advancing one’s circumstances,” Agwu says.
The Biafran War, as the civil war in Nigeria was called, lasted approximately two years and claimed hundreds of lives. Agwu and her family returned to Nigeria after the war ended and the country began to experience greater stability. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Nigeria and then migrated to the United States, where she received a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate in mathematics education from Syracuse University, with a minor in gender studies and multicultural education.
Today, Agwu loves to boast that she can “claim three countries as her home: Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the United States.”
Agwu is currently, president of the New York City branch of the American Association of University Women, a position she has held since July 2009. Founded in 1881, the parent association is a leading voice in the promotion of education and equity for women and girls. The New York City branch is housed in an historical building on 37th Street. As its president, Agwu leads its efforts in advancing the mission of AAUW through advocacy, research and education. She describes her agenda for the branch: “I especially want to ensure that the New York City branch reflects the value promise of the AAUW as an organization that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women will have a fair chance.”
