Young Nigerian Couple In USA, Writes Book On Keys To Success In College

Carrie and Emeka Anazia

Carrie and Emeka Anazia graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina A&T State University in 2011 and 2012, respectively. They married last December and released their first book, Acing The Undergrad: Your Personal Mentor, this fall.

Heavily involved in mentoring and leadership roles on campus while balancing part-time jobs and academics, Carrie and Emeka share the principles they utilized in college within their book. Between the two of them, they earned over $20,000 in scholarship money, studied abroad in five countries and maintained above average G.P.A.s. Emeka graduated with a degree in industrial supply chain management and Carrie, an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a graduate degree from Columbia University.

“We have a passion for mentoring and have mentored students every year while at North Carolina A&T. After we graduated, we wanted a way to share our tools for success with the masses,  Emeka said. “We realized that a book would be the best way to do that.”

Since publishing, they’ve spoken to about fifteen organizations including colleges, bridge programs and high schools. Their target audience includes those close to finishing high school or just starting college; they are reaching out to parents, teachers, school counselors and college administrators as well.

The book’s layout is unique in that it is geared toward how they’ve found students learn best. Each chapter includes a primary principle or lesson, an overview, and personal examples for students to relate to. One of their favorite chapters, “There Are No Excuses: What Is Holding You Back?” speaks on overcoming life struggles and turning them into strengths. They They each share personal dilemmas that affected their work, but never deterred it. A stroke, brought on by Lupus, continues to affect Emeka’s short-term memory, yet he finds ways around it. While Carrie, who has faced stuttering all her life, uses her story to inspire others.

“Having a speech impediment growing up caused me to have low self-esteem and to be very shy. There was always a constant fear of speaking up because I didn’t want to be looked down upon or made fun of because of the way I spoke,” Carrie said. “However, when I was in college, I realized that if I spoke with confidence and carried myself with assertive body language, then I didn’t give people any ammunition to pick on my stutter. When I learned to accept my stutter as a part of me and not be ashamed of it, it no longer was a hindrance in my life.”

Residing in North Carolina, Emeka manages promotions, marketing and speaking engagements for their book while Carrie works as a special education teacher for kindergarten through fifth grades. They are currently working to create a YouTube channel to further explain the book’s lessons.

Emeka was born in June 7, 1990 in Battle Creek, Michigan while Carrie his wife was born in November 20, 1988 in Winston Salem, North Carolina.