Mr. Merton T. Pajibo was born in Monrovia, Liberia on November 8, 1971. On the same day that the Liberian President, Mr. William R. Tolbert, was assassinated, he departed Liberia and established a new life in the United States with his family. Mr. Pajibo grew up in Richmond, Virginia and attended John Marshall High School, where he was a member of the football, wrestling, and soccer teams. He also ran outdoor track and participated in the school’s forensic club. He was a well-rounded and high-achieving student both scholastically and athletically. By the time of his graduation, he had already been offered numerous academic and athletic scholarships from various colleges and universities.
After graduating from high school in 1990, Mr. Pajibo attended North Carolina State University (NCSU), where he earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Biological Science. After serving in the United States Marine Corp, he returned to North Carolina and enrolled at North Carolina Central University in 1998, where he earned both a second Bachelors of Science degree and a Masters degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Later, he began laying the groundwork for Doctoral Studies at both Duquesne University in MA and West Virginia University in WV. Professionally, Mr. Pajibo’s successful and extraordinary career has spanned across the private and academia sectors. He worked as a Research Chemist for Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., Revlon Inc., and Glaxo (now GlaxoSmithKline) in the early 2000s. In 2013, his career took an unplanned pivot into global education when he was selected to embark on a 6-year teaching voyage that granted him the opportunity to educate hundreds of children while visiting multiple cities within China, Japan, and India. He strongly believes in taking a proactive role in ensuring that every child, regardless of his or background, receives the education and life skills needed for his/her future success. Presently, Mr. Pajibo continues to advocate for the youth and give back to his community by teaching Physics and Chemistry at ASPIRA High School in Newark, Delaware.
It is often frustrating to attempt to plan meals that are designed for one. Despite this fact, we are seeing more and more recipe books and Internet websites that are dedicated to the act of cooking for one. Divorce and the death of spouses or grown children leaving for college are all reasons that someone accustomed to cooking for more than one would suddenly need to learn how to adjust all the cooking practices utilized before into a streamlined plan of cooking that is more efficient for one person creating less.