Humphrey Sam Samuel has been active in scholarship leadership since his undergraduate days as the president and secretary of the chemistry student organisations at the Federal University Wukari (FUW), Taraba State, Nigeria. He is currently a doctoral student at Emory University, Georgia, United States, where he teaches, researches, serves, volunteers, and leads in many capacities that have won him grants, fellowships, and awards. He volunteers through membership on editorial journal boards. In this interview with REMI FEYISIPO, he spoke about his scholarly and leadership endeavours, and also about leadership in the Nigerian education sector. Excerpts:
How would you define leadership in the context of your scholarly journey and what leadership ideals do you live by?
Leadership, to me, is the intentional use of one’s position, knowledge, and influence to create pathways for others. In my scholarly journey, leadership has been about showing up consistently, serving others, and pushing boundaries in ways that inspire those around me.
The leadership ideals I live by are integrity, collaboration, and impact. I believe that a true leader listens as much as he speaks, mentors as much as he achieves, and remains committed to excellence even when no one is watching. As an undergraduate student at the Federal University Wukari (FUW), Taraba State, Nigeria, where you made a First Class from the Department of Industrial Chemistry, you served as the student president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the secretary of the American Chemical Society of the university’s chapter.
