Afeez Sodeinde was 18 when he moved from Nigeria to Minnesota two years ago to be closer to his father and get a better education.

Now a permanent U.S. resident, he plans to complete a biology degree from Bemidji State University in 2019 through a program that allows him to take BSU courses on the campus of North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park.

What Sodeinde enjoys most about science are the labs and the kind of research he first experienced through a 2016 internship at Hamline University in St. Paul.

“That was the first time I liked biology,” he said. “It was knowing that I am actively contributing to science as an undergraduate. I like asking questions with no answers and solving difficult problems.”

Sodeinde hopes to earn a doctorate degree and attend medical school, becoming a physician-scientist who focuses on diseases that are less studied but no less devastating, such as Lassa fever, which is prevalent in West Africa.

“Some diseases could be prevented with more awareness, especially in developing countries,” he said. “That’s one of my concerns.”

Sodeinde’s transition from Nigeria has been challenging at times, yet he excels as a scholar. He spent last summer working in a cancer lab at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass., a joint genomics center of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At North Hennepin, he works in a lab with Dr. Andrew Arsham, BSU assistant professor of biology. He also tutors students, serves on the NHCC President’s Diversity Council and helped start an organization for students interested in biomedical careers.

“Afeez rises to challenges and does it with an open mind and heart,” Arsham said. “He embodies the spirit of collaboration needed to succeed in science.”

In November, Sodeinde and two peers attended the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in Phoenix, representing BSU on the national stage. He said he appreciates the exceptional fellow students in the BSU program and for challenging and supportive mentors such as Arsham and his NHCC colleague Dr. Tamara Mans.

“My decision for biology was partly because of them,” Sodeinde said. “I like being able to collaborate with them. They challenge me and believe that I can do it.”