College and Career Ready: Meet John W. North High Class of 2021 Graduate, Angela Ogbogu
Angela Ogbogu graduated from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at John W. North High School in Riverside Unified School District as part of the Class of 2021, and recently started her freshman year at UC Riverside.
Two of Angela’s older siblings also attended John W. North High School ahead of her to participate in the IB Program. But, compared to her brothers and sisters, Angela’s degree of difficulty in completing the program was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Angela still managed to graduate with the IB Diploma and was named the salutatorian of her class.
“It was really stressful, but I knew that my siblings did it, and they helped calm me down when things were challenging,” Angela said. “The pandemic was a wake-up call for me find a balance between my academics and my mental and physical health, while staying connected to church and my friends and family.”
As Angela begins her first quarter at UC Riverside, she reflected on how her North High School experience prepared her for college.
"We had lots of guest speakers from clubs, and from undergraduates and doctoral candidates in college who gave us advice,” Angela said. “When I think about whether I am ready for college, I know I can get slightly anxious. I'm not sure anybody could be totally ready for the next level, but my peers and I have shared lots of pointers with each other."
Angela shared that her high school experience also helped her with her time management skills—balancing the workload of IB classes, spending time with family and friends, joining extra-curricular activities, and maintaining personal health.
At UCR, Angela’s goal is to major in biology. She plans to become a doctor who will be focused on serving low-income, minority communities and
identifying practical, long-term solutions to ongoing issues in California’s community health like disease prevention, health disparities, and more. Angela’s family heritage provides a solid foundation for pursuing a career in the medical field. She has uncles who are doctors, and her mother is a nurse.
“When my mother was pursuing her Master’s degree, I remember how all of us kids would learn about EKG’s and cardiology as she listened to her textbooks as audiobooks in the car,” Angela said.
Angela traveled to Nigeria with her mom once and observed the effects of untreated health conditions with limited availability of emergency or hospital services. Even in California, Angela experienced multiple health incidents that revealed the inequities of health insurance coverage related to family income and employment levels.
"I remember times when we waited in the emergency room for so long, and we saw how few physicians were available and all the chaos,” Angela said. "Beyond the anxiety of dealing with the medical issue of the moment, there was this added anxiety that our health insurance situation meant that it would take months to pay for even this limited level of care.”
Angela saw the “signs” of an ongoing need and decided that she wanted to dedicate her career to helping others.
“I’m excited about being able to help other people—even as clichéd as that sounds,” Angela said. “To have that as my career goal—and knowing that every single day from here on out—it is really motivating.”
Angela was honored with a $2,500 STAR scholarship from the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Chapter BV Scholarship—a Riverside-area organization that has been supporting women who exhibit excellence in leadership, academics, extracurricular activities, community service and potential for future success since 1920.
Angela’s experience in public education gave her the opportunity to see equity in action in the classroom and she is ready to extend that to others along the way.
“From my experience, equity can be seen when every student can confidently apply the lessons they learn in school—academic, individual, and interpersonal—into their life plans,” Angela said. “When we are seen as individuals and not a monolith, we have the ball rolling in the right direction. The results are always in how the students are learning, and I look forward to going back and being a part of that world to help others learn.”