My name is Mubarak Osiremiza Haruna, I am an international student-athlete from Nigeria. I am a Mathematics and Computer Science major and an incoming junior transfer student at Saint Mary’s College of California from Merritt College, Oakland CA. I was raised in Ojota, a ghetto area in the city of Lagos. We lived on a relatively small income. Back then, my dad just started working as a rookie banker. My parents are very private people and didn’t have too many friends in the community. As a child, I didn’t have space to play because the apartment in which we lived was small. My only real friends were my parents. This made me kind of introverted, although I had some friends in nursery school, but I always kept to myself and wasn’t as active as the other children. I was born into an Islamic family. My parents are very religious people and made me start reading the Holy Qur’an at a tender age. They instilled in me moral principles that have helped to shape who l am today. My time at Peralta Colleges has been splendid.
I have served as Vice President of the student council and honor society, represented Merritt College at the California General Assembly, worked twenty hours a week as an academic tutor, and captained the men’s soccer team to a conference championship, all while taking at least fifteen units of academic work each semester.
I chose to attend a community college in the first place to understand how the American college system works and ease myself into life as a college student by learning in smaller classes from distinguished professors as well as being more immersed and involved in the community. Outside of my academic pursuits, I am also a very talented soccer player. Whenever I step on the soccer field, I get this amazing feeling that cannot compare to anything else in the world. I learned the beautiful game of soccer playing barefoot on the streets of Ojota, Lagos. At Merritt College, I am the captain of the Men’s Soccer team. I have led the team out during matches, supervised training sessions, and motivated my teammates during difficult match situations. I have played as a forward and been the main goal scorer on the team. I have scored 10 goals and provided 5 assists in 15 starts on the team. I was also awarded the Bay Valley Conference forward of the year and made the
