Meet Nigerian who’s among African heritage top 150 students

Alex Otubanjo, a first class graduate from the University of Warwick was selected as one of UK’s Top 150 students of African and Caribbean heritage. The British Nigerian in this interview with Daily Trust Saturday expresses delight over her accomplishment, how she achieved it and some of her other academic achievements. Daily Trust: Did you […]

Alex Otubanjo, a first class graduate from the University of Warwick was selected as one of UK’s Top 150 students of African and Caribbean heritage. The British Nigerian in this interview with Daily Trust Saturday expresses delight over her accomplishment, how she achieved it and some of her other academic achievements.

Daily Trust: Did you always have your eye on a first class?

Alex Otubanjo:  It was something that came later. I struggled a bit with university at times. I didn’t know that I could do it. I always wanted to just try my best and see how it would go. The first class was quite unexpected. I thought I was going to come out with a 2.1 because in my first and second year, I was on a 2.1. My main goal while I was in the university was to enjoy myself. It wasn’t about grades for me. Of course, I wanted to do well but I also wanted to get the whole university experience. I would have rather gotten a 2.1 and done cool things than get a first class and not have done any cool stuff. So, I was really happy I got to do both.

DT: What cool stuff did you get to do?

Otubanjo: I was a student ambassador throughout my degree. I represented Warwick in fairs across the country. I also was a secretary for the Black Women’s project Warwick. I was the Deputy chair for the National Youth Panel. I performed in really big spaces like the British museum. I was also an E-mentor to 16/17 year old students; helping them with the university process. I was also a research assistant in my final year. That’s a snapshot of the things I got to do.

DT: How did you balance all these with your academics?

Otubanjo: I always knew I wanted to do a Masters and when I got an offer from University College of London to do my Masters, they told me I needed an average of 65% and I was on a 63% then. I thought to myself, ‘will I be able to make 65%?’ So I had to learn to balance everything but I didn’t put pressure on myself. If I wanted to nap, I napped and if I wanted to go out with my friends, I did. But I also made out time to read. When it’s time to read, I don’t compromise it for anything.

DT: What were your parent’s reactions?

Otubanjo: My mum came up to see me halfway when I was about to check my results and we opened it together. When we were opening it, she was like let’s just hope you get a 2.1 because I was not a first class student at Warwick. When she saw the first class, she was just crying.

DT: As an African, did you face any challenges in school?

Otubanjo: For me, I would say there were two main challenges. The first one was not feeling African enough. I visit Nigeria occasionally but I’ve been in the UK my whole life. So, I would sometimes encounter Nigerians that grew up in Nigeria and they would be like I’m not Nigerian but British. So, it caused me to struggle with my identity. At university, it was a bit more pronounced. Secondly, I faced stereotypes in school as a black student. I had a bit of drama with my flat mate in my first year. The drama wasn’t explicitly racist but it had racial undertones. Like the ‘angry black woman’ thing.

DT: You were recently named is one of the UK’s top 150 students of African and Caribbean heritage. How did that make you feel?

Otubanjo: I was over the moon because I have been following the Future Leaders Magazine for years since I got into Warwick and I always thought to myself; that one day I am going to get in. I didn’t know how but I knew it. Every year, when I saw the people they selected and their achievements, I felt insecure because I felt I hadn’t done enough. So, I was surprised and elated when they reached out to me and told me to come in for an interview. It was a nice interview but I put a lot of pressure on myself. So when I finished, I was worried about my performance. It was a long wait, I got interviewed in May and I didn’t find out till August that I got in. When I got the email saying congratulations, I was really excited.

DT: Nigerians were so excited too. How did if feel seeing yourself trend on Twitter all day?

Otubanjo: It was amazing getting a lot of Nigerians saying congratulations Alex. My phone was going off every second. I didn’t even know what was going on until someone sent me a message that ‘you are the reason why #congratulations Alex is trending’. I was like what?  I went on Twitter and changed my settings to Nigerian Trends because it was on London trending topics. When I saw it, I sent a message to my family’s group chat like guys I’m famous now, I’m trending on twitter. It was fun. I had a lot of follows.

DT: Has anything changed since then?

Otubanjo:  Everything is still pretty much the same. Except now, I have a lot more confidence. Before, I wasn’t really confident. It has changed the way I carry myself like; ye I am a future leader. I did that. My family and friends are proud of me.

DT: What’s next for you?

Otubanjo: I just finished an internship with a think tank organization. I’ve always been interested in policy, gender, social justice and education. I really enjoyed the internship and I confirmed what I want to do. My long term aspiration is to work for the United Nations. I’m hoping in the next ten years or so, I can work with a UN related body. My immediate goal however is to be a policy advisor.

DT: Any plans to return to Nigeria?

Otubanjo: It is something I always think about but it’s difficult because I’ve lived in London my whole life. I will consider moving back if there is a job that needs doing or if I were to meet someone that lives in Nigeria. Also, I’ve always wanted to offer my knowledge and expertise to Nigeria but whether I would relocate to do that is something that would take long thoughts.

DT: What quotes do you live by?

Otubanjo: I wouldn’t say I have any per say but there is a bible scripture that helps me. It is Psalm 46:5, ‘God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.’ It helps empower me as a woman that whatever I’m doing, God is with me. I also like Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ It motivates me to keep going.

DT: Any advice to students looking to also excel academically?

Otubanjo: The first advice would be that they should run their own race. Don’t focus on what anyone else is doing; especially with the advent of social media, it is hard not to compare yourself to others. It is important to focus on you and what makes you happy.

The second advice is to work smart. People tend to think you’ve to read all the time to excel. However, you don’t have to be in the library all night. I didn’t do that at all in my final year. I have never studied for more than two hours at a go because my attention span is very low. If I was in the library reading for long hours, I would be so bored. So, I used to do short bursts of reading.

Are you a morning, afternoon or night reader? Figure out what works for you and work around that. The final piece of advice is don’t be afraid to take risks because life is short.