“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Name:
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Brian Ogweno
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Position/Where:
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Student at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Career Highlights:
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>In 2010, served as president of the Student Body Union overseeing and facilitating the merger of the Student Council and Campus Activities Board at STLCOP
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>Global Service Corps volunteer in Tanzania with the organization’s HIV/AIDS prevention program
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Campus event organizer
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Education:
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>5th year student at St. Louis College of Pharmacy
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>Rock
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>Bridge High School in Columbia “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Personal:
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Parents: Linus and the late Elizabeth Ogweno
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Siblings:
“letter-spacing: .1pt;”>Brandon, Brianna, and Byron
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>St. Louis
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Connection:
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>His family moved from Nairobi, Kenya to the U.S., first to Blue Springs, Mo., and have since lived in Columbia and Sedalia.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Journey to success “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>:
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>His journey on the right path can easily be traced to his parents: Linus, an occupational therapist, and Elizabeth, a nurse. As health care professionals, the pair influenced Ogweno’s decision to pursue a pharmacy degree. “Seeing how much fulfillment they got out of their careers really impacted me,” he says.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In terms of accomplishments for others, Ogweno says there is always more than one person involved.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>I’ve had the good fortune of being around forward-thinking and creative people who have complemented my strengths. They have motivated and pushed me and we have been able to do good work. It takes a team effort. You almost feel guilty when you can’t share the spotlight with those around you because others have worked equally as hard and were as dedicated and sincere.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>Unlike most other 22 year olds, he has a full-page personal vision statement that provides daily guidance. In it, Ogweno reminds himself “to work hard and always give it his all; to be thankful to the Lord for all that he has; to respect the dignity and personhood of all the people he has the privilege of meeting and knowing; to live with honor; to work to serve others; and to love everyone and everything as the Lord loves him.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>His vision keeps him grounded. It defines him as a person and in how he contributes to lives of people and society. It also keeps him focused on his goals.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>“At the end of each day, I pray and look back and analyze how it went. I look at my interactions, how I acted, and what I accomplished,” he says. “When I do the things that I’ve outlined for myself in my mission statement, those are the days I feel most accomplished. I feel like I’m on the right path.” “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>At home, Ogweno and his siblings were taught the merits of self confidence, leadership, respect, and hard work. And they were taught about their obligation to family and society and the value of education. Without a doubt, his most challenging life lesson occurred during his senior year at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia. He quickly learned how to overcome adversity after losing his mother to a blood clot unexpectedly when she was 42. Understandably, the loss changed Ogweno’s perspective on life.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>“A lot of my motivation and drive in high school came from the dreams she had for me, the things she accomplished in life, and the joy she got from being a nurse and working with her patients. She was very happy and fulfilled,” Ogweno says “Once in awhile, when I have those days or weeks when I’m not very motivated, I think about the memories, talks, and experiences I had with my mom. I think: if nothing else, don’t do this for myself, just do it for mom and it will be worth it because it’s something she would have absolutely loved.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>He also pushes himself to be a role model for his siblings.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>Although he was only 5, Ogweno remembers the poor living conditions that his family left behind in Kenya, where they shared a small house with five or six other family members. They didn’t own a car and he and his mother depended on a relative for rides. As distant as those memories seem, it’s a reality he still lives with today.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; letter-spacing: .1pt;”>“All of my extended family is in Kenya. I have cousins who are struggling,” Ogweno says. “That could be me. I’m no different than anybody else. My background from Kenya allows me to appreciate the things around me, the opportunities I have. I live in the richest country in the world, and I attend a private institution. With such contrast from where I was to where I am now, it’s hard not to feel blessed. I’m very thankful. I feel an obligation to contribute as much as I can to people in poverty and people who don’t have very much.”
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