Buchi-Nkem Elizabeth Ezeoke is an advocate, writer, engineer, and creator
In early August 2025, HFC student Buchi-Nkem (pronounced “boochie n-kem”) Elizabeth Ezeoke ("ee-ZO-kay") presented at the 2nd annual Michigan College/University Partnership program at Lawrence Technological University.
Ezeoke and Oakland Community College student Laisa Magucha-Mensah worked with LTU Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Aleksandra Kuzmanov, who served as their mentor. The two students gave a presentation called “MICUP Scholars Program: Our Story.” This project focused on the adverse health effects of bisphenols, chemicals that are widely used in the production of plastic materials. They performed multiple experiments to evaluate the reproductive toxicity of these chemicals. Ezeoke spent a lot of time in a lab collecting microscopic worms and photographing them. Those organisms are immensely valuable for studying female reproductive health.
“I’m very passionate about reproductive health and rights,” said Ezeoke. “I loved everything about my MICUP experience, which combined science and storytelling. I gained so much than I ever thought possible: I got a best friend out of it. I got a mentor from LTU out of it. Easily one of the greatest experiences I had in my college career.”
MICUP was created by the Michigan State Legislature to help community college students overcome institutional barriers through research opportunities with local universities. As a supporter of MICUP, the LTU College of Arts and Sciences partners with HFC and other community colleges to bring underrepresented students to LTU’s campus for an immersive summer learning experience.
Kuzamanov enjoyed working with Ezeoke over the summer.
“She’s so bright and endlessly curious,” said Kumanov. “She'd come in every day with some cool fact or a thoughtful question that would get us all talking. It was incredible to watch her master new techniques so quickly and with such precision in just four weeks. Her energy was infectious, and she was such a pleasure to have around. I have no doubt she’s going to do incredible things!”
Through HFC, she has become an advocate of young women
The eldest of two, Ezeoke was born in Ann Arbor and resides in Wayne. She is an alumna of John Glenn High School in Westland. Ezeoke will earn her associate degree in pre-engineering from HFC at the end of 2025. Afterward, Ezeoke will transfer to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she will finish her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. She also completed coursework at Wayne State University.
“I’ve always loved science and math,” said Ezeoke. “I love the problem-solving aspects of engineering. I love how creative it allows you to be. I love building things. People don’t think of engineering as a creative field, but it really is.”
During her time at HFC, Ezeoke has been a member of the Henry Ford II Honors Program and the Dr. Henry J. Bowers Focus Group. She is an award-winning staff writer for The Mirror News, HFC’s student-run newspaper, where she attended and covered the “Pulitzer on the Road” event earlier this year. She also participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at U-M.
“I love engineering, research, writing, and volunteering,” she said. “Through the Honors Program and the Bowers Focus Group, I got to volunteer at Alternatives For Girls, the women’s shelter in Detroit, and Keep Growing Detroit, whose mission is to promote a food sovereign city. I never thought I’d care about those causes until I came to HFC. I have become an advocate of young women.”
Top 2%: creativity, critical insights, knowledge, and vivacity
HFC sociology instructor and Bowers Focus Group faculty advisor Dr. Kalvin DaRonne Harvell counted Ezeoke among the top students he’s known throughout his career.
“In this, my 27th year of teaching, I rate Buchi-Nkem in the top 2% of all the students I have had the pleasure of working with,” he said. “She is a diligent scholar and communal leader. I appreciate her commitment to excellence!”
HFC English instructor Dr. Peter Kim is the faculty advisor of The Mirror News. He has had many opportunities to work with Ezeoke, mentoring her for two Honors-directed studies and advising her at The Mirror News.
“In all that she does, Buchi-Nkem brings creativity, critical insights, depth and breadth of knowledge, and vivacity that is unequaled,” said Kim. “From being a Mellon Fellow to winning awards from the Michigan Community College Press Association, Buchi-Nkem has already accomplished so much. I look forward to the many great things she will do in the years to come.”
An exceptionally brilliant mind
HFC English instructor and Bowers Focus Group co-faculty advisor Dr. Courtney Matthews has also worked with Ezeoke on numerous occasions.
“I have been fortunate to be able to see her brilliance on display in many different settings. In the Bowers Focus Group where I first met her, she has become a leader who openly welcomes new students, making them feel at home and is always sharing insights from her latest personal reading, and about the texts we read together as a group.”
Matthews wrote a letter of recommendation on Ezeoke’s behalf for UROP in 2023, where her presentation, “Minimally-Invasive Scaffold to Recruit Natural Killer Cells for Monitoring Pregnancy,” was well-received.
“I wasn’t at all surprised. I’m honored to bear witness to all of the research projects and roles that she has undertaken since then, and I see her continue to hone her voice,” said Matthews. “It has been a joy to see her flourish as a student in the Honors Program. Her love of knowledge is inspiring, and she has chosen to complete multiple Honors-directed studies when only one was required.”
In the Winter 2025 semester, Ezeoke was part of a student panel at the Mid-East Honors Association in Columbus, OH. Matthews served as the moderator.
“I naturally felt that the panel was a success, and so did faculty from Indiana University, who not only commended Buchi-Nkem but said they will be quoting her in their class!” recalled Matthews. “These outside validations continue to show what I knew when I first met her in 2023: She has an exceptionally brilliant mind and will excel at whatever she does!”
Ezeoke is looking forward to moving on to U-M, but said she will miss HFC.
“I’m sad to leave after this term,” said Ezeoke. “The faculty, hands down, is the best thing about attending HFC. This College wouldn’t be half of what it is if not for the faculty, who do such good work daily. I am a champion of community colleges, particularly HFC, and what they can do to change students' lives.”