Chisom M. Okpala ’15, the only Nigerian student in her class and freshman representative of HASA, has been friends with Mulumba since they both joined USAP.

“Everyone has been so welcoming, so friendly,” says Okpala. “We have a really wide support community.”

For example, Okpala says that African freshman were given a $175 clothing stipend to help them cope with Harvard’s harsh winters, and that she has received personal messages from her Resident Dean of Freshman, Catherine Shapiro, asking about her well-being.

Okpala describes her feelings about being an African student as a mixture of pressure and pride. “I know so much is on me, given this incredible opportunity,” she says.

She also emphasized the role that Mulumba’s roots have played in his desire to become a doctor, explaining that, “When you’ve seen that much suffering and morbidity in your home country, it motivates you and helps you focus, because you know you have so much to contribute,” says Okpala.

But intense future goals aside, Mulumba is able for the moment to simply enjoy the experience of being a freshman at Harvard.

He is free to be his gregarious, inquisitive self, and says he is becoming increasingly at home on campus, regardless of how alien it first seemed.

“Harvard is the best place to be,” says Mulumba, flashing a wide grin. “You have so many opportunities, and so many people who are willing to help you