Sometimes the most transformational ideas don’t emerge from technology giants or research labs — they come from the curious mind of a child who refuses to accept things the way they are.
Meet Eniola Shokunbi, a young student from Middletown, Connecticut, attending Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy. What started as a school project in her fifth grade class turned into a movement with statewide impact.
When Eniola and her classmates were tasked with designing a solution to improve school safety, she asked a simple but bold question:
“What if we could clean the air around us — right here in school?”
Instead of a textbook report, she and her class built a DIY air-filter system out of common materials — a box fan, furnace filters, duct tape and cardboard. The system cost about US $60 to make and was affectionately decorated (their school mascot was an owl).
Owl Force One – Eniola Shokunbi
“A lot of people, they don’t realize sometimes, that the only thing standing between them and getting sick is science,” Shokunbi.
Their “box-fan + filter + cardboard” purifier — known as “Owl Force One” — was then sent to be tested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In July 2023, EPA scientists placed it in a 3,000-ft³ bioaerosol test chamber and exposed it to a surrogate virus for SARS-CoV-2. Within 60 minutes the DIY filter removed over 99% of airborne viral particles — a result that gained serious attention.
Because the results were so promising, and because the filtration system is inexpensive and easy to replicate, the state of Connecticut took action.
On October 22, 2024, the Connecticut State Bond Commission unanimously approved US $11.5 million in funding for the distribution and installation of these filters in classrooms statewide — as part of the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative under the program known as SAFE-CT (Supplemental Air Filtration for Education).
So yes — Eniola’s project was tested, validated by a major government agency, and scaled up with serious funding. What began as a simple “science-class challenge” turned into a model of youth-driven social innovation.
What This Means for Every Child
Every child carries something extraordinary: an idea, a gift, a perspective untouched by fear or limitation. The problem isn’t potential — it’s opportunity.
Children don’t automatically consider obstacles the way adults do. They don’t start with “why it won’t work.” They start with:
- “What if we tried it this way?”
- “Why do we assume it must be done like that?”
- “Why not?”
And the truth is — that mindset builds solutions. It builds leaders. It builds the future.
But it only survives when adults nurture it, not silence it. When communities support it, not discourage it. When organizations invest in it, not overlook it.
This Is Why Rosayo Children Foundation Exists
At Rosayo, we are driven by a simple belief:
Children are not just preparing for the future — they are already capable of shaping it.
Our programs in mentorship, education, creativity, and youth empowerment exist so that more young minds like Eniola’s have access to guidance, resources, and safe spaces to explore ideas that may one day change lives.
Imagine if every child felt empowered to solve a problem they noticed in their community.
Imagine if every bright idea received encouragement instead of doubt.
Imagine the world if more children understood that their voice, their curiosity, and their creativity matter — right now.
We’re not building followers — we’re building innovators, thinkers, leaders, and changemakers. One mind. One idea. One opportunity at a time.
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