A Day in the Life of Essex County College Student Mark Anifowose

Mark Anifowose

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A typical day for Essex County College (ECC) student Mark Anifowose runs pretty much non-stop from 6:30 a.m. to sometime after 10 p.m. That’s the way he likes it, stated the Engineering major from Newark.

Mark has his breakfast cereal at home, usually along with younger brother David, a senior at Weequahic High School.  His older brother, Samuel, also an ECC student majoring in Biology, Pre-Medicine, heads to campus a little later in the day. His mom, Adeola, makes sure he is ready for his long day.

“I’m usually at school around 8:30 when I grab a quick cup of coffee,” Mark said. Then his day really gets going. “Before class I’ll watch videos related to my assignments and go over some class notes.”

Mark is taking four classes in the Fall 2023 Semester; Calculus, Chemistry, Physics and AutoCAD. He currently maintains a 3.6 grade point average. He also offers tutoring help to classmates, when asked, in Math and Chemistry.

In addition to his academics, Mark serves as President of the College’s Student Government Association (SGA) and a member of the Technology, Engineering & Computer Science (TECS) Club. It’s his SGA position that takes up a large part of his day, whether it be planning for an upcoming Student Forum, preparing for a large campus project, or keeping students updated on the latest campus news. Mark finds time to help out at the Student Food Pantry. “By working in the Food Pantry, I can see how important it is to provide this service to students. 

“I like to keep busy and I’m motivated because I want to help people. I only have two years at ECC and I want to make an impact,” he stated.

Mark appeared in a recent episode of ECC’s Community Education Forum where he talked about his busy schedule with host Alfred Bundy, Executive Director of the College’s Office of Institutional Advancement.

After class, and when he doesn’t have SGA work, Mark can usually be found attending the TECS Club meetings. “Honestly, this is the only club I have time for aside from SGA,” he admits.

The meetings also give Mark the opportunity to connect with a few other club members who comprise an informal study group. “The four of us are either Engineering or Computer Science majors. The sessions keep me focused on school work and it’s a great time to share information and new ideas,” he said.

The group also usually gets something to eat in the early evening before eventually calling it a day. Mark gets home between 8 and 9 p.m. At that point, he has a snack and watches a movie or the news. “It’s when I wind down before I start up again.”

Mark receives a lot of support from his mom and brothers, along with his SGA peers, professors and friends at College.

Mark enjoys playing drums, which he performs during services at the Newark Assembly of God. “I’ve always liked music. Growing up in Nigeria I had a guitar, which I’m starting to relearn now.”

His career goal is becoming an aerospace engineer. MIT tops his list of transfer destinations after ECC, followed by Princeton University and Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Mark wants to work on the conversion of combustible aircraft engines into electrical units.

Mark has a bright future. For now, you can generally find him working hard at Essex County College.