Many people don’t understand how much poor indoor air quality can affect your health. This is especially true for crowded places like schools, which is why 12-year-old Connecticut student Eniola is making it her mission to bring clean air to classrooms. “I noticed a lot of times when the doors and windows were closed in a classroom, it would get really stuffy and my friends were often catching colds and other sicknesses,” Eniola explained. “I think it’s really important for students to be able to learn in a clean and healthy environment.”
Her passion for the subject started when she read an article about air filters in the White House. Eniola was impressed and interested in learning how her class could benefit. After doing some online research, she decided to write a letter to Marina Creed, APRN, the director of the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative, asking for blueprints of the air filter so that she and her classmates could build one. “Since the moment she was born, Eniola has always been exceptional. I tease her that she was talking and trying to understand me at a few days old,” Eniola’s mother Funmiké laughed. “She has such lofty dreams and is confident she can overcome any obstacle to make it happen. I am so blessed and grateful to have such a considerate and driven child.”
Impressed by her initiative, Creed decided to provide the blueprints and also surprise Eniola by bringing scientists to her fifth-grade class at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Connecticut. They spent the day talking to the class about air pollution, climate change, and helped them create a few of the air filters that Eniola had asked about. “Just seeing how amazing and passionate these women in science were, was really inspirational,” Eniola said.
The Corsi-Rosenthal box air filter that Eniola’s class built can be created in about 30 minutes with just $60 worth of common hardware store supplies. The inexpensive, effective, plug-in air filter device is 24 x 24 in size and the replaceable filters may last as long as 5-6 months. The filters were tested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who certified that the air filter was extremely effective at removing over 99 percent of viruses in the air in just one hour. “Making the air filters was actually really easy, and at first I think we were all disbelieving that something so simple could make such a big impact, but it really does,” she said.
Eniola, who wants to be the first Black woman president of the United States, is getting a lot of attention for her efforts. The State Bond Commission was so impressed by the filter that they decided to allocate $11.5 million to the construction and installation of the air filter system in schools across the state of Connecticut. Eniola will participate in the effort by traveling to other schools to share her message of clean air and help them build their own filters. “Lots of people have reached out to tell me how grateful they are and how much they have learned,” she said. “I believe it’s really important help people understand the importance of clean air and show them how easy it is to make an impact.”
Eniola hopes that her story will inspire others to be passionate and determined about making a difference in the world. “Your voice matters and if you are determined, you can do whatever you set your mind to,” she said.
Blog last updated: February 4, 2025
