- I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria.
- I grew up in East London in Forest Gate.
- Lagos, Nigeria.
- Enfield, Tottenham and a bit in Mill Hill.
- I grew up in Lagos, but then I was in boarding school
in Abuja when I was 10.
Then I moved to boarding school in Bristol when I was 14.
(laughs)
- North London, so a place called Enfield.
It's like Zone Five.
London, Londoners will know--
They'll be like, "Okay, now I know roughly where you are."
- The Black community at Imperial is very friendly,
bubbly, and full of life.
- Very lively. We're small compared to other universities
but we do pack a punch I would say.
- I think with like, being Black, sometimes you get
kind of put into the stereotype of,
put into just like, one thing you can be,
but with Imperial, there are lots of different Black people
doing many different things, with many different interests
and it's nice to have a community here.
- I have faced some challenges being Black at Imperial
I think the main thing is to do with fitting in.
I think it's very easy to...
For other people to sort of,
come and find people they click with, they look like,
and you can really identify with.
- Something I experienced a lot was actually being confused
with another, the only other Black girl in my year.
For a long time.
Or, people making comments about my hair.
Because I know they're not from the same background
so they may not understand,
so I can't be aggressive,
but I also want to be able to educate them in the right way,
so that they understand what they're doing.
- Yeah a lot of people think
that just because you are part of a cultural society
that represents you, that's all you do.
I'd like to think I'm a lot more well rounded than that.
It's the general stuff.
The sort of, touching your hair,
asking stupid questions around your food,
and what you bring in.
- Very subtle things,
walking into a room, just doing a quick scan
being the only Black person in the room sometimes.
And being in an environment
that doesn't necessarily always represent your culture,
even in a good way or at all really.
It can feel kind of isolating at times,
but then obviously being a part of the ACS
has helped with that.
- Within the African Caribbean Society
I was largely involved in their production called Afro Gala.
So I was a director of the female modeling,
and very involved in other acts,
such as dancing and drama.
- I'm a member of the ACS, and I'm vice president
so I've a chance to take matters into my own hands
about diversity as well,
so for example we are running a mentorship program
for low income Black students who are interested in STEM.
So that's kind of one way I'm trying to shape diversity
and change that in Imperial.
- One other thing I've been involved in is my course events.
We went to a ski trip this year, in France, for eight days.
So that was a really good experience.
Got to bond with people on my course,
people that you wouldn't normally outside
talk to that often.
But, there was people that I saw different sides to,
and it was really enjoyable just to get involved.
- What makes me feel a part of Imperial right now,
it's my department,
it's the wonderful lecturers that I have,
it's the academic rigor, as I keep coming back to,
understanding that I'm at,
you know, a fantastic place
doing difficult stuff, thriving,
you know, having great friends as part of the ACS
or any other society.
- From some of the relationships I've formed,
I've managed to gain internships, jobs,
and even a Europe research project.
But in addition to that,
my relationships with the friends I have at Imperial,
especially the African Caribbean Society,
so they're a group of people
who are actually really intelligent,
as well as like, being funny and being down to earth.
We can also relate on a lot of things together as well.
- The people, the people.
Like my friends, they, I don't feel like...
It's kind of a home away from home.
Although I get homesick sometimes,
but I never feel like, I never feel that bad,
because I have my friends around.
There's also the food, in London.
There's a lot of places you can get Nigerian food here.
And although it's kind of far from me,
I would go all the way.
I would go all the way to buy some Nigerian food, yeah.
- Imperial is, it's a very academic place.
But other places I've been aren't as friendly as Imperial
I feel like it's a very good community here.
And I felt that especially on my interview day,
when I first came,
I felt like it was very friendly.
And just being for me, part of the ACS, being the president,
being on the sports teams,
going on my course trips,
all these things that I wouldn't get
if I weren't a part of Imperial
do make me feel like I'm part of the Imperial community.
And I would say Imperial has very different sides of it,
very different communities, but everyone still feels...
Can say that they are a part of Imperial.
- Who inspires me? That's an easy one.
It's my dad, 100%, it's 100% my dad.
He has put everything forward
to ensure that I've got the best in life,
that I've attained the level of academic attainment
that I have right now.
That I've had the opportunities that I've had so far.
He's a gym manager,
so he hasn't been able to, you know,
get me an internship at a certain company,
but what he has been able to do,
is inspire me to do that myself.
- My mum inspires me, and my sisters inspire me.
I feel like...
They are a good representation of like,
a strong Black woman.
Because they are strong.
And we're not in the same field
so I feel like I can look up to their drive in life,
as opposed to their success in their field.
- My dad inspires me,
because he is an exceptional engineer.
And has always, at every stage of my life
prompted me to do the best I can.
- Beyonce. (laughs)
- I love Beyonce, I'm a huge fan.
I love her so much, she's inspiring.
I love her, I could go on but I'm just going to stop here.
But, Beyonce.
- Recently, I'm inspired by Jaden Smith,
he is really young
and he does a lot of stuff for the society.
I really like his creative vision.
I wear a lot of his clothes.
(laughs)
I wear a lot of his clothes, I just don't care.
When he drops it, I just buy it.
- I'ma say my mum
she hasn't had it easy growing up,
and easy in life.
But just seeing her persevere, never quit
has kind of instilled into me,
the sort of attitude that, you can always reach for more.
And there's never really and excuse to stop.
You can always push on and keep going.