Photos: Mark McClendon, portraits courtesy of Lety Laurel
Anthony Idi B.S., electrical engineering
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raduation day was no small event for Anthony Idi and his family. His grandmother flew in from Nigeria and was joined by more than 20 other family members and friends from various cities, including Chicago and New Mexico. “I was the first in my family to graduate from a four-year college,” Idi said. “It was a big deal.” He and a friend worked on his mortarboard before commencement. The elaborate design honors his African roots with red, green, yellow, white and black stripes. The gears symbolize his love of engineering, and he gave a gold glitter shout-out to his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. And of course, he needed a roadrunner. After walking the stage and getting his diploma, tears
welled up in his eyes. “It was the feeling of finally being done and accomplishing something that was very difficult and challenging,” Idi said. “That was one of the greatest feelings ever.” Idi said that high school didn’t prepare him for the rigors of university work, so he had to learn good study habits and time management, which could be difficult when working to pay for living expenses and school. At one point Idi had an overnight job, so even finding time to sleep became an issue. The oldest of five, Idi also wanted to be there for his siblings in Houston, whether to show support at a sporting event or to help care for a sister with a rare condition that required a lot of hospitalization. “My parents, they work so much,” Idi said about his mom and dad, who are both licensed vocational nurses. Idi felt he couldn’t fail them or the rest of his family. In July, he will begin his new job at Microsoft in Washington, D.C. >>>
spring 2014
Sombrilla
19