Student Spotlight: Tabitha Ejinkonye
 
All of the construction projects going on at the University of Houston kept Tabitha Ejinkonye busy at her work-study job.

That�s because she was employed by the fire marshal�s office, which happens to handle many of the various permits needed in the building process. She would look over the permits and make sure they were filled out properly. She would make copies of them. She would file them. It was a job she loved, mainly because of the people with whom she worked.

�I love them. They are awesome,� Ejinkonye said.

The job, which she started last September, came to an end in May for a very important reason � she graduated with a bachelor�s degree in health promotion and a minor in nutrition.

Ejinkonye grew up in the Dallas area, graduating from high school in Irving. She attended Houston Baptist University for a year, then went back home and took classes from Collin County Community College for a year before transferring to the University of Houston.

�Houston was far enough away from family, but close enough that if I wanted to go home on the weekend, I could. I loved my time here at UH. It was great,� she said.

Now that she has her degree, she has some important decisions to make. She is contemplating seeking a master�s degree in education, and she might pursue certification to be a certified health education specialist.

This past semester, which attending school and working part-time for the fire marshal�s office, she completed an internship with the AIDS Foundation Houston. Among her duties was helping to organize the AIDS walk and taking part in free HIV testings.

At UH, she was active with Zeta Phi Beta sorority, which is geared toward community service. She lived in Cullen Oaks all three years she attended UH and loved it.

�It was great living there. It beats the gas prices and dealing with traffic, because Houston has horrible traffic,� she said.