I am a Nigerian who has lived more than half of my life in Swaziland with my parents and younger brothers. I may be considered more reserved than the ‘typical’ Nigerian, but can be just as loud at times.
Attending a UWC has allowed me not only to be more comfortable in the midst of my amusing countrymen, but has made me accepting and appreciative of other cultures as well as mine. I have learnt that it is sometimes the smaller details that form stronger bonds of friendship, like identifying with someone raised across the world from you partially because you grew up eating the same food prepared using a different method or because you share the same values. I have also enjoyed and still continue to enjoy finding similarities and differences between the cultures and traditions of people of different countries, be it a resemblance in the pronunciation of words of different languages or a likeness in marriage ceremonies.
Being part of a UWC has also made me curious to travel the world. This is one of the reasons why being a part of the Lewis and Clark community is a thing I look forward to, as I will be encouraged to further learn about foreign cultures, not only in the classroom but beyond, through the comfortable integration of cultural education with daily life.
I look forward to this experience and exploring areas outside of my accustomed area of study and learning more about anthropology and psychology. Outside the classroom I intend to continue singing in a choir and sprinting as an athlete. I am also learning to confidently use all the different parts of the drum kit.
One thing I hope to accomplish in my four years at Lewis and Clark is balance, in all aspects of my academic and social life.