Mechanical engineering student Nwachukwu Ibekwe ’22 is this year's recipient of the prestigious undergraduate St. Ignatius Loyola Medal for committing himself over the last four years to the Jesuit educational ideals of maintaining high academic standards and substantial involvement in community service and extracurricular activities. 

In his acceptance speech, Ibekwe said, “I came to Fairfield University all the way from Nigeria with the zeal to make the most out of this experience in this unknown foreign country. It fills me with pride and gratitude to have my efforts recognized in this way and I hope this serves as a beacon to my successors, especially my fellow international students, to keep devoting time to excellence on campus; both in academics and involvement in activities and programs.” 

As a student at Fairfield, Ibekwe has a full résumé of accomplishments, including inductions into Alpha Sigma Nu and Tau Beta Pi, and being the recipient of two prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) scholarships and the Bridgeport Engineering Institute Scholarship.

Ibekwe practices his passions through extracurricular activities, internships, and research opportunities. He is the project vice president for the Society of Automotive Engineers' Baja Competition, a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, a new student leader, peer tutor, resident assistant, FUSA senator, music minister, house manager at the Quick Center, and he serves as a research assistant and teaching assistant at the School of Engineering. He volunteered on the Jesuit Humanitarian Action Network's immersion trip to Abilene Texas, and with the International Rescue Committee, the Caroline House Build a Library program, Engineers Without Borders, Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organization, and Prospect House. He also served as an apprentice at Mmabro International Motor Tech, Ltd., and authored a published research paper, “Micro-Bioreactor for Tissue Scaffolds."

Ibekwe recalled a time during his childhood where he was punished for being noisy in class by his teacher Aunty Kate and related it back to being called today to be the recipient of the Loyola medal. He said, “Today I have been called out to the front of a different type of class and though I’ll always remember Aunty Kate, Fairfield taught me how to make the right type of noise. Fairfeld taught me to work hard and keep reaching for the greater as I embody the Jesuit value - Magis, which means more. This time around I am not thinking of how to endure the punishment for being noisy, but how I can do more to be more deserving of this award after graduation and into the future. Once again, I cannot express my gratitude enough for this recognition.”