Simba on Track
Despite the difficulties international students often face while transitioning to Exeter, Chinedum Egbosimba, who arrived at Exeter as a new upper from Nigeria, finished his homework and was in bed by 10 o’clock most nights.“He is an academic god. The way his brain works is unfathomable,” Sam Blank, a senior and close friend, said. “He’s just a genius, there’s no way around it. But he is too humble. He’s involved in Astronomy Club and Democratic Club, he has an engineering internship at Columbia University— it’s very selective and 95 percent of the students who go there get accepted to Columbia,” Blank boasted on behalf of Egbosimba.“When I work, I work. I often see a lot of people saying: ‘Oh! We have so much work!’ When in reality they’re consistently checking Facebook and Tumblr while doing math homework,” he said. “When you want to do something, just do it. Don’t let your mind wander.”“Once he starts focusing on something he gets it done,” Reaves said.During his time at the Academy, Egbosimba completed the 319 Chemistry series, won a Chinese prize and triumphed as “Best Delegate” at a Model United Nations tournaments.Egbosimba highlighted one accomplishment: “I hold the record for the fastest completed Rubik’s cube on campus: 35 seconds.”Friends of Egbosimba noticed his individualistic thought process even in the most mundane areas of a teenager’s livelihood.“He thinks about things so much more thoroughly,” Spencer Reaves, a fellow senior Dutch house, said. “I remember once we went to see the movieIron Man 3 and there was a part where Tony Stark caught five people, saving their lives. During the movie Chinedum came to the conclusions that this was mathematically improbable and offered a solution. He thinks it through like that.”“I always notice how something could have been done better because my mum is an entrepreneur and my dad is a civil engineer,” Egbosimba said. “I am fascinated by products which are low on cost, high on performance…unlike this chair, ” he said, gesturing towards the ground. “This is poorly designed because it is just slightly too low.”In addition to Egbosimba’s work philosophy, many students believed humility to be one of his best features.“Everyone feels the need to establish their accomplishments and rank themselves next to each other to see who is better. Chinedum doesn’t feel the need to do that,” Reaves said.“I think I am just a silly, calm guy. I really don’t get bothered about anything,” Egbosimba said. “I’m not in like ten-million-level math or anything.”“He has the ability to make fun of himself, which is a huge show of character,” Reaves added. “He is very outgoing, bubbly and friendly—not afraid to jump into a conversation.”“Chinedum is a gentleman, a comedian, and an excellent scientist. He does not take himself too seriously, is kind and generous with others, and looks for the enjoyable side of anything he does,” Allison Hobbie, a chemistry instructor, said.“He displays an unusual degree of equanimity for one his age,” Christine Knapp, International Student Coordinator, agreed. “He is bright, but not pompous. He is quite funny and has a wonderful sense of humor.”Many friends of Egbosimba appreciated the time, care and commitment which he consistently dedicated to them.“I get satisfaction when I help people out,” Egbosimba said. “If someone has a problem, no matter what it is, I will try to help them. Life here at Exeter is already hard enough with all the work. So if I can help solve one little problem then it is one thing off your plate.”“He’s awesome, he’s a really relaxed and a chill bro. He is always readily available and a really nice guy,” Blank said.“He helps a lot with homework; he always drops whatever he’s doing to help you,” Reaves said, describing last Friday evening when Egbosimba helped him disassemble and reassemble a broken bike.Egbosimba’s generous attitude extends beyond Exeter to his home in Nigeria where he dedicates much of his time to auto mechanics.“In Nigeria he works as a free mechanic to fix people’s cars,” Reaves added. “Cars are his true love. If you say something about a car, he can recite all the specs about it.”His passion for automobiles originates from an early introduction to the sport by his uncle and a love of engineering, which focuses on cars but includes all mechanized vehicles.He recounted his most thrilling driving experience. “The fastest I’ve ever driven was 250 km/hr in an Aston Martin DB9, but I swear I would never tell my mum,” he grinned.Egbosimba’s father taught him to drive, instilling invaluable lifelong values and a strong sense of etiquette.“My dad taught me to assume everyone driving around you is a complete idiot,” Egbosimba said. “ I am acutely aware that any small mistake could kill someone. Once you are aware of that, you drive more safely. I really don’t like when people say slow driving is safe driving. Focused driving is safe driving.”In many ways, Egbosimba’s code of conduct on the road is visible in other facets of his life.“I think driving makes me more careful. I assume that people will miss meetings and make mistakes. I am really into making backup plans in case people around me mess up plans,” Egbosimba said.“He’s always thinking two steps ahead of everyone else. He thinks about all the possibilities of something happening in the future,” Reaves said.Although Egbosimba doesn’t have a particular college in mind, he has a clear plan for the future.“First, I’m definitely going somewhere warm: West coast, farther South, just nowhere Northeast.“I definitely want to be an automotive engineer—to be designing brake systems, engines, working with aerodynamics, doing mechanical and chemical engineering, designing petroleum or reaction chambers, all of that is my dream.”