Abegesah’s hard work leads to pharmacy program
Inspired by his parents, who role-modeled hard work and tenacity, Aburough Abegesah ’16, from Beltsville, Maryland, is returning to his home state to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Maryland. Abegesah says that the Block Plan taught him not to wait, but to take the initiative—a lesson that will serve him well in his graduate program.
While at Cornell, Abegesah completed a major in biochemistry and molecular biology, competed with the wrestling team, found brotherhood in Alpha Chi Epsilon, a fraternity dedicated to service projects, and graduated a semester early. Abegesah’s commitment to strong work ethic was bolstered by his time with the wrestling team, and through his friendship with fellow 2016 graduate Shuhan Reyes, whose influence helped him choose the University of Maryland for graduate study.
Abegesah also practically lived in West Science, even sleeping there on occasion.
Q: What Cornell experiences prepared you for graduate school?
A: In general, being pushed in all these damned block classes. Pharmacy school is going to be a stressful and busy time period for me, but I know that all the skills of time management that I learned from balancing athletics and the intense course load will give me a nice preparation for what is in store in me in graduate school. After I earn my PharmD, I hope to go into research so that I can be a part of the development of medications.
Q: What is your biggest academic accomplishment?
A: I think the fact that I was able to finish my coursework at Cornell a semester early was pretty meaningful to me. I carefully looked at the coursework that I would need to finish my biochemistry and molecular biology major as well as the prerequisites to apply for pharmacy school and made sure that that I could fulfill both. Doing all that and finishing early gave me more time to utilize to focus on the future, so I feel that it is a pretty big achievement.
Q: How did One Course At A Time impact your education?
A: One Course has shaped the way I study. You don’t really have the luxury of time when you’re on the block system. I’ve learned how to deal with different types of material and I can construct rough plans for how to study them.
I value that in addition to being rigorous, the classes can be unique. Classroom sessions can be in a typical lecture hall, an observatory, in the field, or anywhere. It’s a unique style and it does well to keep a student engaged in the material.
Q: Why did you choose Cornell?
A: I really wanted to be far away from home so I could get a sense of being on my own in a different environment. I can say that Iowa is pretty different from Maryland but either way I appreciate the experiences that I have gained in Iowa.
Q: What person on campus had the biggest impact on you?
A: I’ll give a shout out to my friend Shuhan Reyes ’16. I’ve known her since our first year and we’ve been cool ever since then. We’ve had so many classes together and she’s beaten me in almost all of them. Her amazing work ethic has motivated me to better myself. Her advice has helped me a lot of times and even influenced my decision to go to the University of Maryland.
Q: Is there someone else who has inspired you?
A: I would have to give that designation to my parents, who came to the United States from Cameroon. They worked extremely hard to find a place in this country, and to provide for my three older brothers and me. My parents showed a lot of grit in their journey here, and it is with great pride that I identify with the tenacity they demonstrated throughout my childhood. My parents taught me the importance of hard work, helping others, and being grateful. So anytime when I feel down or feel that I’m under pressure, I think of what they’ve done for me and I persevere through whatever is in my way.
Q: What’s the most important thing you learned at Cornell?
A: The most important thing I’ve learned is to not wait on things but to take the initiative.
Q: What activities were you involved in at Cornell?
A: I have been involved in wrestling since I was a sophomore in high school. Wrestling is the greatest sport in my opinion, and it helped me to develop my work ethic as I had to learn how to balance practice and schoolwork on a daily basis.
I never thought I would end up in a fraternity, but it happened—I am part of Alpha Chi Epsilon. In general I gained a lot of new friends from joining and I got to become more involved in the campus life than I thought that I ever would.
I also worked as the chemical stockroom assistant, where I cleaned and organized the laboratory classrooms that were used in classes at Cornell. I loved helping out at Cornell even if it was only a little bit.
Q: What is your favorite study spot?
A: Ground floor of West Science.
Q: Which part of campus has special meaning for you?
A: West Science, since I was there for more than half of my classes. I ate there, studied there, and even slept there.
Q: What would you tell a prospective about Cornell?
A: I’m not going to lie, Cornell is a weird school. You’ll see people wearing pajamas in the cafeteria, people doing LARPing (live action role playing), and a lot of other things that may seem eccentric. But, even if you aren’t into some of these things, there’ll be a place on campus for you. The school has too many activities and clubs for you not to have a place, even if you’re a low key person like me. That’s cool too.
Q: What is a random fact you’ve learned through your major?
A: Craig Tepper is an Italian gangster.
