Hometown: Hayward, California
High School: Bishop O’Dowd High School
Major(s)/Minor(s): Bioengineering
Chisomaga Nlemigbo grew up in Hayward, California, and is a recent graduate of Bishop O’Dowd High School. Starting from his freshman year, he always knew that he wanted to actively shape the community around him and create positive change. He served on student government for all four years, was an officer for the American Red Cross Club where he worked with student leaders across the East Bay region to fundraise for causes like wildfires and refugees, and volunteered as an Ecological Coordinator for the Ecology Club to organize campus-wide events centered around educating students about endangered species, activism, and global changes. During his sophomore year, teachers nominated him to participate in the Bioneers Intercultural Conversations Project, a national program bringing together Native American and non-Native students to learn more about the environment and societal issues from an indigenous perspective through discussions and cultural immersions on a Navajo reservation. Following his time with the Bioneers program, Chisomaga went on to speak at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice Conference about ecological justice and the mobilization of young people for the environment. By his senior year, he had graduated as a four-year member of the honor roll, a member of the National Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation, and was the recipient of his school’s Regents Award. Now, as an SCU Bronco, Chisomaga hopes to continue creating a positive change in his community by studying Bioengineering and examining the ways that engineering and social justice can combat the negative effects of our ever-changing environment on people’s health.