From a Handwritten Letter to an $11.5 Million Solution: How a Nine-Year-Old Changed School Air Quality
From a Handwritten Letter to an $11.5 Million Solution: How a Nine-Year-Old Changed School Air Quality
At just nine years old, Eniola Shokunbi noticed something troubling: her friends kept getting sick at school. The classrooms were stuffy, windows remained closed, and coughs echoed daily. While many children would accept this as “normal,” Eniola believed there had to be a better way.
Her teacher assigned a project: design a solution for future pandemics. While her classmates drew ideas, Eniola researched. She discovered Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes—simple air filters made from box fans and furnace filters that were already being used in places like the White House to remove viruses from the air.
Most students would have stopped there, but Eniola saw an opportunity. She handwrote a letter to Marina Creed, a scientist at the University of Connecticut, asking for help to build these filters for her classroom. Creed was astonished by the clarity and ambition of a nine-year-old reaching out for collaboration. She didn’t just send instructions—she brought a team of scientists to the school.
Together, Eniola and her fifth-grade classmates built “Owl Force One,” decorated with rainbow wings and a paper beak to match their school mascot. The design was simple yet effective: four furnace filters forming a cube with a box fan on top. Total cost? $60. Build time? 40 minutes.
The real test came next. University of Connecticut researchers took Owl Force One to the EPA’s advanced testing facility in North Carolina. The result stunned everyone: the student-built device removed 99.4% of infectious respiratory aerosols in just 60 minutes—outperforming commercial air purifiers costing ten times as much.
Eniola didn’t stop with her classroom. She met with school administrators, presented her findings to school boards, and even spoke alongside Connecticut’s Lieutenant Governor. Her argument was simple: expensive air systems were out of reach for many schools, but these $60 filters were accessible to anyone, and students could build them themselves.
Her persistence paid off. In October 2024, the Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $11.5 million to install these air filtration systems in schools statewide through UConn’s SAFE-CT program. From one handwritten letter, Eniola’s idea had become a public health initiative protecting thousands of students.
Now twelve and in sixth grade, Eniola dreams even bigger: she wants these filters in every classroom in America—and she aspires to become the first Black woman President of the United States. Given her accomplishments before middle school, it’s hard to doubt her.
Eniola reflects: “A lot of people don’t realize that the only thing standing between them and getting sick is science. If we’re not investing in that, then we’re not investing in kids’ futures.”
This story is more than a tale of one remarkable child. It’s a lesson in curiosity, persistence, and the power of young voices. When scientists respond to a handwritten letter, when policymakers take a student’s idea seriously, transformative change becomes possible. Sometimes, the courage to ask that first question—boldly and persistently—can turn a simple idea into an $11.5 million solution.
