Stella Ifeanyi Smith

"I have had several challenges along the journey but the fact is that those challenges bring out the best in me."

"Indeed, I feel great. I believe that this is a confirmation of hard work over the years. These Fellow awards do not come without hard work and recognition of your area of specialty over the years and I must say it has been God. I acknowledge unashamedly that I am what I am by the grace of God. If it was left to man, I would not have been able to achieve this much."

"I started my molecular biology hands-on-training workshop in 2009. This followed my post-doctoral fellowships in France and Germany. I realised that molecular biology techniques were not common then and I was interested in building the capacity of the young ones as well as interested participants who comprised university lecturers, Medical Laboratory Scientists and other stakeholders from different geo-political zones in the country."

"My laboratory is referred to as a German laboratory because most (85%) of the equipment I have in my laboratory was bought wiith the German funding by by either the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation or the German Research Foundation (DFG)."

"My role model was my late mother, Mrs. Stella Okwui Ebigwei who was a widow. She instilled discipline, hard work and fear and reverence of God in my sister and I and so I had a focus that I would not derail but be a notable person someday. She was my strong supporter and always called me ‘Star’."

"My most challenging period was when I lost my mother and it dawned on me that I had no parents on planet Earth. My most inspiring period comes when I see those that I have trained doing well."