When customers drive into the Green Grocer Wholesale Produce parking lot on O?Neil Blvd., in White Oak, Pennsylvania, the first person that they are greeted by is Stephen Bamiduro. Always smiling, always talking with the customers, Stephen is a college student at Penn State Greater Allegheny who is happy to be working outdoors and saving some money for his next semester at Penn State?s University Park campus. ?I was so excited to be notified that I was accepted into the petroleum and natural gas engineering program in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences? says Bamiduro, ?that I immediately started making plans to move to University Park in the fall.?
Bamiduro always knew that he would attend college; he just wasn?t sure which one. Growing up, he had many interests and thought he wanted to be a doctor, until the day his father showed him an article in the New York Times Magazine about Nigeria, the home land of his parents.
The article was about crude oil burning in Africa and how the flames lit up the sky even at night. ?The photo in the magazine showed the sky all lit up, and that fascinated me,? he said. From that point forward, he decided to be an engineer with the intent of traveling to Nigeria and helping that nation with their land.
His choice to attend Penn State Greater Allegheny came as a result of an admissions counselor, Ms. Sarah Ma, visiting his high school and talking with him. After she left, he googled Penn State and was impressed with the rankings. ?The information I found online confirmed what she told me about Penn State,? he said. ?Great reputation, largest alumni group, and first choice for recruiters, that?s all I needed to know? I was sold on Penn State!?
It?s obvious that Stephen loves working with the customers at his summer job. His hopes and dreams keep him motivated. One day, after he spends time in Africa, Stephen hopes to travel to Alaska to work in the oil fields and to see the aurora borealis. With a big smile, he adds, ?I guess bright lights still fascinate me.?