Mariam Adefowoke ONABANJO is 24 years old, born and raised alongside 10 siblings in Iyana-Ipaja, a surburban area of Lagos, Nigeria. Fluent in English and Yoruba, she can read and converse in basic French and has lived most of her life in Lagos apart from a one-year stint at the Benin, Edo state for her National Service year. She currently works as the financial secretary for Eko Youth Agricultural Cooperative, a startup cooperative that she launched with some acquaintances, to increase the involvement of youths in agricultural processes and ventures tackling the problems of youth unemployment and food insecurity in Nigeria. She holds a first-class Bachelor of Science degree in Botany from the University of Lagos, Nigeria; having graduated as the best student in her class with a CGPA of 4.67/5.00 and winning the University Prize for the Best Graduating Student in the Department of Botany (2017). She intends to pursue a PhD in Bioenergy/ Sustainable energy studies and join other research scientists on their quest to create clean energy to meet the world’s transportation and industrial needs by 2030. She considers winning the scholarship as an essential part towards to the furtherance of her studies because the GRE is an integral part of applications to many schools in the US. It will help her to secure admission in a reputable graduate school and therefore help achieve her future goals in the Bioenergy sector. Mariam’s continued interest is creating a world that is safer and better for everyone. She is passionate about learning, good education, quality healthcare, and the environment and has volunteered with certain NGOs in these areas. Her determination to always see things through and unrelenting spirit for research will make her a successful candidate in any field of endeavor that she finds herself.