Adetutu "Tutu" Olowu of Staten Island, N.Y., Wins Community Service Scholarship Award from CICU

2017 Mar 8

The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York (CICU) has selected Clarkson University biology student Adetutu "Tutu" Olowu '17 of Staten Island, N.Y., for a 2017 Independent Sector Community Service Award for her work as a community service leader and ambassador for higher education.

Olowu, a graduate of Port Richmond High School in Staten Island, N.Y., is one of 10 outstanding New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) recipients from independent private, not-for-profit colleges and universities who are being recognized for their leadership in community service.

Each student awardee will receive a $500 scholarship from the H.D. Paley Scholarship Fund, named in honor of CICU's third president.

"At home on Staten Island, in Potsdam and during international service trips, Adetutu Olowu is an ambassador for higher education and how university students can make a difference in their local and larger world community," said Mary Beth Labate, president of CICU in New York. "I am personally humbled and inspired by the significant accomplishments of Tutu and our other honorees.

"Together, these scholarship winners are testament to the diversity of our students, and to the many contributions that private, not-for-profit colleges and universities make to communities across New York State. They are proof that investing in the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) gives New Yorkers the choice and the support they need to enroll at colleges and universities where they can truly thrive."

As a Potsdam Central School volunteer, Olowu leads the "Crazy 8's" after school program for 20 first-graders who have fun while learning higher level mathematics. She also is a mentor in the Integrated Clarkson Experience (ICE), which is a university STEM initiative to pair college students with high school students who are at risk of not graduating.

Through daily contact about personal and academic progress and participation in monthly STEM-based workshops on campus, Olowu's mentee already has created a College Board SAT account, identified potential colleges for her desired major, and begun the process to acquire career information and financial aid.

Building the confidence of youth is nothing new to Olowu. She has spent three summers with New York City Public Schools Athletic League (NYC PSAL) Big Apple Games, which provides children a safe environment to engage in sports, arts and life skills management. Since fall 2012, she has also been a nursery school teacher for her church.

At Clarkson, Olowu is not only an ambassador for community service, but a force multiplier for volunteer work. She is a founder and vice president of the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS), an organization dedicated to preparing students for their future in medicine with a focus on community service and leadership. MAPS is raising money to buy a wheelchair accessible van for a local boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and this effort has now spread to several other clubs on campus.

Demonstrating leadership and diplomacy, she served as trip leader for Clarkson's Doctors Without Borders assignment in San Jose, Costa Rica, which focused on conducting physical therapy routines for the elderly. She also has taken volunteer rotations in the pediatric and OB/GYN units of the Ikeja General Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, and the Staten Island University Hospital's pulmonary care unit.

As vice president for programming for Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity, Olowu has been the dance marathon director and raised more than $6,000 for the Children's Miracle Network at the regional Samaritan Medical Center. She also volunteers for the Potsdam Humane Society and organizes events that lead to new pet adoption.

Along with New York State's TAP, the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) made it possible for Olowu to study immunocytochemistry and acquire laboratory skills under Assistant Professor of Biology Cintia Hongay. She has blended this experience with more than 90 hours per semester in tutoring in cellular biology and past service as the resident leader for the Women in Engineering Science and Technology housing block for women pursuing STEM field careers.

A recipient of the Presidential Citizen Award in her senior year at Port Richmond High School, Olowu was recognized for public service, good citizenship and community service, and she has been recognized by the American Legion with a certificate extolling her qualities of courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service.

While achieving a 3.59 GPA, Olowu's generosity of time and commitment to community service work is fully aligned to her career goals in medicine and finding health solutions for children. She is an ambassador for higher education and how university students can make a difference in their local and larger world community.

Clarkson University educates the leaders of the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as an owner, CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. With its main campus located in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the Capital Region and Beacon, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university with signature areas of academic excellence and research directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through more than 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo and connect discovery and innovation with enterprise.