Celebrating a Remarkable Year with Nneoma Oji, 2025-2026 Program Manager Fellow
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Over the past year, our 2025-2026 Program Manager Fellow, Nneoma Oji, has been an incredible part of the Science Club for Girls community. She has brought curiosity, creativity, and care to every aspect of the role. As she prepares to matriculate into medical school, we want to take a moment to reflect on the impact Nneoma has made on our programs, participants, and SCFG team.
Growing up in the South Shore to a Nigerian-American family, Nneoma’s passion for science began at an early age and has continued to shape her journey ever since. As a young student, Nneoma fondly remembers her middle school science teachers encouraging her interests in science. She credits this early support and spark as foundational to her desire to use science as a way to give back to her community.
When she arrived at Harvard College, that passion led her to become a Mentor with Science Club for Girls, while pursuing a degree in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. Supporting girls in STEM resonated deeply with Nneoma because of her own experiences of navigating STEM spaces and recognizing the continued importance of representation for women in science.
Through mentoring and other experiences in college, Nneoma also began thinking more deeply about how science can directly support people’s wellbeing. Reflecting on these experiences, she shared,
I think the experience of serving people indirectly but still contributing to their overall health made me think about [science] in more tangential ways. I really want to work with people directly and make a positive difference in their lives.
As a Program Manager Fellow, Nneoma led clubs virtually and across the Greater Boston area. Throughout the year, she consistently stepped up to meet new challenges and create new connections.
Early in her fellowship, she helped moderate an “Applying to Medical School” panel for Mentors, creating space for mentorship, guidance, and community among young women pursuing STEM and healthcare pathways. She also played an important role in the launch of SCFG’s new Malden location, where she built strong relationships with participants, families, mentors, and church administrators.
Reflecting on her time as a Program Manager Fellow, Nneoma often emphasizes the transformative power of STEM education, not only for participants, but also for the Mentors and staff who make this work possible. One of the most meaningful parts of her experience was nurturing confidence in Junior Mentors while building connections through science among participants.
I think it's inspiring watching them [Junior Mentors] become more confident as the semester goes on. Some will come in very prepared, but others I’ve had to coach. Some are really shy and initially struggle to engage with our participants, but by the end they're a lot more confident. This growth happens in participants too; some take a backseat at the beginning of the semester, but then towards the end, they start teaching the curriculum and collaborating with their peers as well. They all developed into such confident young women. Many quickly stepped into leadership roles, often surprising themselves with what they were capable of achieving.
For Nneoma, these moments captured what SCFG is all about: creating a space where young participants, as well as the mentors guiding them, can grow into confident, capable leaders in STEM.
Coming back as a Program Manager Fellow was a full circle moment for me, I had mentored some of the participants when I was in college and now those participants are Junior Mentors. Watching them grow into leaders who are confident and take ownership of their work makes me feel proud. They are so inspiring and that is something that I will take with me.
For Nneoma, she saw that Science Club not only nurtured the same early interest in science that she experienced in middle school, but the community formed among participants and the Mentors helped create lasting relationships and continued support beyond the clubs. She leaves SCFG with a reaffirmed passion for using science to create a difference in people’s lives, as well as a deep appreciation for the role of mentorship and community in shaping the next generation of problem-solvers and innovators.
After a wonderful year with SCFG, Nneoma will be moving on to medical school at Columbia University in New York City, where we know she will continue to use her talent and compassion to uplift and empower others. From everyone at Science Club for Girls, Nneoma will be greatly missed, and we wish her continued success in this new chapter!
About the Program Manager Fellowship:
The Program Manager Fellowship is a one year fellowship for individuals from our SCFG community who are looking for a meaningful employment opportunity in between pursuing advanced courses of study in STEM and/or while working on medical and graduate school applications.
