By CHEYENNE WALLACE
Contributing Writer
The way Chukwuma Asala helps other people get what they want, the more Asala will get what he wants- it’s his philosophy.
Asala is the assistant director of First Year Programs and Intercultural Leadership at The College of Saint Rose. Now 35, Asala never thought he would be where he is currently. He admits that he didn’t even know that higher education existed. He originally wanted to do something in finance, something that was “fancy.” He pictured himself in this job vividly, “wearing a suit, red tie, white shirt, look good smell good.” But if it weren’t for a friend, the Former Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management asking Asala to interview for a position, he would have never found himself where he is now. 
Asala also coaches a girl’s soccer team when he isn’t working in his role at the college. He played soccer his whole life, comparing it to how easily accessible basketball is in the States. He was so good that he made the varsity team his first year of high school at Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts. Asala also never thought that he would coach girls, but he saw that they listened to him more and trusted him easily. Trust and respect frame his interactions within his marriage, his athletes and his students. He is so committed to the ideals of trust and respect that he plans to keep them near when looking forward in his life.
“Crossing paths with Chukwuma has truly been a blessing. He has helped me open doors and accept new opportunities,” said Karamjeet Kaur, a junior. “Working with Chukwuma over the summer as an Orientation Leader and during the FYE retreat in Lake George was definitely one of my best experiences at Saint Rose. His teachings, and words hold so much power and undoubtedly have changed me to the person I am today,”
Working with teenagers is one of Asala’s passions, and something he finds to be rewarding. Asala is aware of the struggles teenagers face, and he wants to help them overcome those struggles. Helping them understand that what happened to them isn’t their fault. He also wishes that students get from him that they need to figure out who they are and be the best them they possibly could be.
“One of Chukwuma’s strengths is the ability to see potential in others. When he interacts with students, his goal is to help them experience success while looking for ways to challenge them,” said Darcey Kemp, assistant vice president for Student Success and Engagement.
Asala was born in Lagos, Nigeria, an overpopulated city. He was the middle child of two sisters and was raised upper-middle class, never lacking for anything. The culture focused mainly on respect and respecting elders. So, Asala did exactly that. When he moved to the United States at 17, it was the first time he was part of a minority. Yet, he never felt alienated or isolated. Asala has now been in the United States for 18 years and he feels culturally more American than Nigerian.
“I’ve just never been Nigerian enough since I left home,” Asala said. Yet what’s most important to Asala are his values and his character rather than his heritage at the moment. It seems that he tries to show that with his students as well.
“Chukwuma sees each student as an individual with unique qualities,” Kemp said. “He takes the time to understand each person’s style and motivation and then seeks to build relationships based on that understanding.”
