Breathing is a key process that happens automatically in our bodies. We often don’t think about the act of breathing or pay attention to the quality of the air we breathe. However, it’s important to make sure the air around us, especially in schools and other places where we learn, is clean and free from harmful substances. Clean air helps our brains work better and keeps us healthy for learning.
A student in Connecticut wanted to improve air quality in her school. She worked on a project to provide air filters for all the classrooms at the Macdonough STEM Academy. And in October 2024, Connecticut officials went even further than that. They approved a plan to get a filter in every classroom in the state!
That student’s name is Eniola Shokunbi. In 2022, Eniola was in fifth grade. Her class read an article about air quality. At the time, the world was struggling in the COVID-19 . The COVID-19 virus is spread through the air. Experts believed that air filters could help protect people from becoming ill.
Eniola read about a group of scientists from the University of Connecticut who showed off a new air cleaning system at the White House. This air purifier was special because it was easy to make at home. People could put it together themselves using common items. The device was made of a regular box fan with four air filters taped to it. The fan pulled air in and pushed it through the filters, sending out clean air on the other side.
Eniola didn’t want her fellow students to get sick. Eniola hoped that her school in Middletown, Connecticut, could get the filters in its classrooms. Eniola asked the air filter experts to share the instructions for how to build the filters — but instead, the filter team came to her school to help put the tools together! The filters take 30 minutes to build and cost about $60. Eniola’s class made one air filter system that looked like a bird with wings!
The team talked with the students in Eniola’s class about how the filters worked. “We learned a lot about indoor air quality and air ,” Eniola told News-O-Matic.
Later, Eniola got to join the air filter team on a mission. In July 2023, she and the team visited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test out the filters. The EPA, founded in 1970, is a government group that protects air quality in the United States. Eniola watched the filter test from another room, since kids weren’t allowed in the lab. The results showed that, after 60 minutes, the homemade filters removed nearly all in the air!
After that experience, Eniola wrote letters and emails to lawmakers about getting the filters in classrooms. She wrote to the White House, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, state senators, state representatives, and the town manager of Coventry, Connecticut.
“There were some people who didn’t want it to go through,” explained Eniola, “so I wrote letters to them, explaining why I thought it was such a good idea.”
On October 22, 2024, Eniola’s hard work paid off. The State Bond Commission of Connecticut approved $11.5 million to put filters in every classroom in the state. Eniola went to the Connecticut state capitol building in Hartford to hear the announcement.
“I was just so happy that all this work paid off, but I know that my work isn’t done yet,” Eniola said. “I want to get this into every classroom in the country.”
The middle schooler has advice for kids trying to bring change to their community. “Inspire yourself. You don't have to have all these fancy degrees or this or that to come up with good ideas,” Eniola said. “Just think, what am I doing? Who is this for? Just focus on the goal and enjoy the journey!”
By Diana Richard
Updated November 14, 2024, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
