Anthony Okoye ’29 describes himself as an extremely logical person, so when applying for the Beales Scholarship — with students from 12 counties considered — winning it seemed unlikely.
“I remember turning it in, and I was like, there’s no way I’m going to get this scholarship,” Okoye said.
Eight months later, Okoye received a congratulatory email from the College of William and Mary notifying him that he was the Harriett Pittard Beales ’34 Scholarship recipient.
“I saw the email and it was really a shock,” Okoye said. “It was a nice feeling. I kind of couldn’t believe it.”
The Beales Scholarship honors Harriett Pittard Beales ’34 and her son Walter R. Beales III for their community service. The College awards the merit-based scholarship to first-year students from Southside Virginia.
Aside from being an honor, the Beales Scholarship mitigates the financial burden of attending the College.
“It’s less pressure,” Okoye said. “I don’t always have to think ‘Oh, my parents have to pay this much.’ That weight, at least, is lifted partially. Not entirely. I wish it were entirely, but it’s better to carry 70 pounds instead of 100.”
Okoye plans on double-majoring in neuroscience and mathematics. He hopes to apply his neuroscience coursework to his future career as a neuropsychiatrist.
“I’m interested in the connection between the anatomical aspects of the brain, the nervous system and the way people think and act,” Okoye said. “It keeps advancing more and more. I want to be a part of that.”
His choice to pursue mathematics is less career-oriented, but still very important to him.
“For the math aspect, I think that’s purely personal,” Okoye said. “I don’t think it has any correlation to neuroscience. It’s just the way I want to structure my mind.”
This fascination with math is not new for Okoye.
“I think it started in eighth grade when I took algebra,” Okoye said. “Everything just kind of seemed to click. I don’t want to say puzzles, but more like a logical way of thinking that I thought really fit the way I saw the world, so I really felt close to that.”
Outside of academics, Okoye had a wide range of extracurricular interests in high school. One of his most interesting pursuits was with the piano, where he decided to take over as the pianist at his church despite not yet knowing how to play.
“It all started because at my church we have a pianist and he graduated from high school, so he wasn’t really going to be there anymore,” Okoye said. “And it’s funny because there were pianists before him, they also graduated, and then he had to take over. Then he left, so there was no one else who could play at my church, so I decided to.”
Okoye taught himself how to play the piano through reading sheet music and attempting to play it. The process proved to be difficult.
“People don’t really think about how much goes into playing the piano,” Okoye said. “You need the right approach to the piece, the right dynamics, the right intonations and to play the piece as it’s intended by the composer.”
His first performance at his church reflected these challenges, as well as having to coordinate with the choir.
“It was kind of terrible,” Okoye said. “It was just a few weeks, actually, when I started to actually play, and then I got thrown into it. Honestly, it was a shock, and my memorization saved me from actually playing horrifically or not even playing at all.”
However, Okoye’s skills and confidence grew with time.
“There was one time where I was really focused,” Okoye said. “I was very serious about the songs I had to play. I guess my intensive focus kind of made me forget about the people that were there, and I actually played the piece like I was supposed to. After that, I felt content.”
Playing the piano allowed Okoye to tap into his creative side, while still utilizing the logical tools he loves.
“When I was younger, I wasn’t really that creative,” Okoye said. “So I never really had a creative outlet, and I guess music gave me that. I’ve really progressed so much more quickly because of the mere passion I have for the music. And I guess you could say the logical part of me really enjoys that complexity.”
When he wasn’t busy with piano, Okoye was participating in the scholastic bowl, a trivia-style academic competition.
“Since I was a kid, I loved reading different kinds of books and learning and absorbing all those facts,” Okoye said. “I never once imagined myself actually deploying that in some area whatsoever, but when I found out about scholastic bowl, I realized I could put it to practice.”
Okoye recalls learning about the game from upperclassmen when he joined his sophomore year of high school. By his senior year, he was able to do the same for newcomers.
“They looked up to me,” Okoye said. “It was very cute to see them, to be honest. I could share my knowledge with them and help them approach different questions, different ways, you can see them rather than what’s objectively shown.”
Teaching new team members helped Okoye find his own leadership style, allowing him to better serve his communities.
“When you’re leading other people, you’re in a forefront position,” Okoye said. “But what this taught me was that I’m not really much higher than them. My goal is not to put myself on a pedestal, but to reach down from that position to the people that I’m supposed to serve.”
Now at the College with the help of the Beales Scholarship, Okoye strives not only to serve around campus, but also in his personal relationships.
“I want to be an anchor for people,” Okoye said. “Someone that doesn’t sway too much. An anchor is something that holds other things in place, so if people are being assaulted by whatever storm of difficulty, having that person to rely on. I guess that’s what I’m going to be.”
