Meet Ejiroghene Mary Ukiri | Founder/Director of the Ejiro M. Ukiri International Scholarship Fund

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ejiroghene Mary Ukiri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ejiroghene Mary, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I have noticed that whenever I am asked this question, I never have one specific answer. This is because I am inspired by several experiences and people. For instance, the sacrifices made by my mom throughout the years of her life has greatly inspired everything I do and has made me believe that there is so much more to be achieved in life than I can ever imagined. However, if i were to answer the question of what has most inspired me in a more specific manner, I would have to say my dad. Ever since I was a young girl, my dad has held me to a high level of expectation and achievement. When I remember my childhood, I recall always trying to impress him in every way possible, whether it was being at the top of my class, or being at the front of the children choir of my church. As I grew up, he started to emphasize this idea that I could always be doing more, even on days where I felt like there was nothing to do. It was because of this that I started to become uncomfortable with doing nothing. So, I began to write, get published, acquire certifications, and establish my non-profit, all while maintaining a job and purchasing a full-time degree. I am also inspired by my dads story. As I grew older and older, he would tell me more stories of his childhood and career path. These stories made me realize that even the people I look up to have not always had the smoothest of journeys towards success in life. There were definitely some tough times where I started to feel like I cannot always live up to his expectations and the bar was placed to high for me. But after some time and critical thinking, I start to feel inspired and encouraged again because a great part of me believes that if he keeps emphasizing that I go above and beyond to achieve these things, then somewhere within him, he truly believes that I can. So, I started to believe that I can.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is a non-profit organization called the Ejiro M Ukiri International Scholarship Fund and our mission is to inspire graduating Senior Secondary School students to embark on their journey towards acquiring a University/ College education in Nigeria. We intend to do this by aiding their dreams and aspirations financially so as to relieve a substantial part of the burden that the cost of further education might be. Our purpose is to support the young and talented minds that inhabit the winners and applicants of our scholarship, in order to provide them with a true and meaningful chance for success in the nearest future. What sets me apart from others is definitely how much believe and faith I have in the success the students that will be awarded this scholarship. I have always really wanted to give back and try my best to fix something in someway. This organization represents that for me. There are so many problems in the world and I became tired of saying, “hey there is a problem here”. I really wanted to start saying, “there was a problem here but we took care of it”. It definitely was not easy to start and it still is not easy. We have been trying our best to come up with effective ways to raise funds and get everyone on board with our ideas. In the process, my team and I came up with this notion of “Nigerian Students helping Nigerian students” which essentially means finding ways for Nigerian students in diaspora (mainly the United States), to help out Nigerian students over in Nigeria financially. So, we started organizing fundraisers and events at the University level such as sales and lunches to get the word out and raise money and motivation for the cause simultaneously. It has been incredibly successful and we have been met by talented students that want to help our cause and achieving our goals. We have also been reaching out to churches for aid and support as well. I overcome challenges in multiple ways. I start by praying because when I am really stressed, worried, or confused, prayers really puts my in perspective and reminds me to just calm down and take it easy because I really believe that I cannot be faced with more than what I can handle. The next thing I do is run to my support system. This means that I open up and share the burden with those around me that love and care about me. Thankfully, I have a very supportive older brother who is always ready to not just listen to everything I have to say, but also to help me find solutions to every problem, and I am always grateful for that. I am most excited about being able to help the students that really need it. One can say I am very very excited about actually seeing our end goal come to life and witness all our hard work really pay off. I would like the world to know that this project is very personal to me and helping students with dreams and ambitions is so important to all of us that run this organization. I would also like the world to know that no assistance that is rendered to us is a waste and we deeply appreciate whatever form it comes in.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a best friend visiting me, I would definitely take them downtown to visit places like the Dallas Art Museum, Klyde-Warren park, and the Museum of Illusion. I would make sure they ride the trolley around the city, get on the chariots and horses, eat from the many food trucks around the park, and soak in all the sky scrapers downtown. I would also take them to one of my personal favorite spots called Kellers burgers because I have always loved how their burgers tastes so authentic. We would also visit the famous Galleria Mall because it is my absolute favorite mall in Dallas because of the numerous store options they have.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My Shoutout definitely goes to Temidire Adelakun. I can say so many things about how much she has been a blessing to my life but I will try to keep it short and simple. Saying that Temi is my best friend feels like a major understatement because she has become more than that. When I started my non-profit, I thought of who I had in my life that would be able to share that dream with me and dedicate their time and effort towards achieving the goals of the organization. It did not take me that long to conclude that Temi would be the best fit for my co-founder position. This is because over the span of almost six years of our friendship, I have not only built an immense trust in her and her counsel, but also because she has been such a great support system for me as I continue to embark on new projects along the way. She is also very intelligent and full of ideas, which is something I really need by my side at all times. So my shoutout goes to her because she is the best. I also want to use the means and platform to say thank you so much Temi! I really appreciate all that you do and I cannot wait to see the great things we will do through this organization.

Website: https://ejirointernationalscholarshipfund.com/

Instagram: mayy.ree and ejiromukirifoundation

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejiroghene-mary-ukiri-b747bb1a6

Other: email- mayreeukiri@gmail.com and ejiromukiriinternational@gmail.com