{"id":888,"date":"2018-10-01T11:10:23","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T15:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lead.worcester.edu\/?p=205"},"modified":"2026-01-05T21:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:34:55","slug":"student-omolara-ojo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/campus-life\/2018\/10\/01\/student-omolara-ojo\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Omolara Ojo Talks Culture & Representation on Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigerian American Omolara Ojo understands the importance of incoming students seeing people that look like them in leadership roles on campus, and has dedicated her time at Worcester State to making sure that this happens.<\/p>\n

Written by Jess Evora, Assistant Director, OSILD
\nPhotos provided by O. Ojo<\/h5>\n
\n

Massachusetts-native Omolara Ojo<\/strong> is a going into her final year here at Worcester State University.\u00a0 She is a proud Nigerian American who moved to Worcester from Cambridge, Mass. before starting her first year here on campus.\u00a0\u00a0When Omolara first started as a student here, she decided she would waste no time getting involved.<\/p>\n

She served as a member of Third World Alliance<\/a> (TWA) during her first year.\u00a0 In her second year, Omolara served as President of Amnesty International, a group that advocated for human rights across the world.\u00a0 The group no longer exists, but Omolara is proud of what they were able to accomplish during her tenure.<\/p>\n

Omolara has been a long-term member of TWA since first joining.\u00a0 TWA is a group that focuses on bringing multiculturalism, pluralism, and diversity to campus and to the greater Worcester community.\u00a0 She served as a general member\/treasurer her first year with the organization, and then Vice President in her second year with TWA.\u00a0 She is proud of her contribution to the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a difficult year when I was VP because we were understaffed,\u201d Omolara said.\u00a0 As Vice President, it was Omolara\u2019s responsibility to fill any gaps.\u00a0 She therefore served as an Executive Board member, as well as a chair person for planning events.\u00a0 She explained that it was certainly a challenge, but one that she was able to overcome.<\/p>\n

Omolara is now going into her fourth year with TWA as a dedicated general member.\u00a0 When she is not fulfilling her responsibilities with the organization, you can find her either in class, or in the Living Room on the second floor of the Student Center.<\/p>\n

\"Omolara

Omolara can often be found hanging out in the Living Room in the Student Center, where she continues to build community among fellow WSU students.<\/p><\/div>\n

Omolara\u00a0recently sat down with us to share what she has learned through her involvement on campus.<\/p>\n

\n

How do you think you\u2019ve grown as a leader during your time at Worcester State?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201dI think I\u2019m more open to talking to not only faculty and staff within the school, but I\u2019m also more comfortable talking to business owners,\u201d Omolara said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think interacting with the Student Involvement Office<\/a>, and other administrative offices that I wouldn\u2019t have normally interacted with outside of student leadership positions, has been a real benefit for me,\u201d Omolara said. \u201cSometimes we [students] complain in silence, and don\u2019t say anything.\u00a0 So in a way I\u2019m more proactive now.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about leadership through your time here?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing that I\u2019ve learned is that you can\u2019t please everyone,\u201d Omolara said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a tough thing to be a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t know the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes,\u201d Omolara said. \u201cThat was something I realized, but it only really hit me when I became an E-Board member for TWA.<\/p>\n

“Sometimes you can get so close to your goal, and one small thing can cause an event to not happen, but you just have to keep going,” Omolara said.\u00a0 \u201cIf I can\u2019t do everything, I\u2019m going to do what I can<\/em> do to the best of my ability.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather have one great event, than have 20 small events that are sub-par.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representation in the Community <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI identify as an African-American woman.” Omolara said. “I am Nigerian American, and I think representation is very important.”<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, there were always people that looked like me,\u201d Omolara said. \u201cThen I went to college and the hallway that I lived in was predominantly White. That was an adjustment. It\u2019s made me more self-aware,” Omolara said.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Omolara

As a proud Nigerian American, Omolara feels it’s important for incoming students to see people that look like them in leadership roles on campus.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\n

“I never thought about race and my womanhood until I got to college,” Omolara said.\u00a0 “Even just to see someone of dark skin, having that representation is so important.”<\/p>\n

Omolara explained that this is the reason she pushes herself to get involved and stay involved.<\/p>\n

We hope she continues to do just that. Thank you Omolara for your contribution to the Worcester State community.<\/p>\n

\n

Have you found your<\/em> reason for getting involved? If not, then stop by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development on the second floor of the Student Center, and our friendly staff will help you discover your reason for getting involved. Oh, and don\u2019t be surprised if you bump into Omolara during your visit!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigerian American Omolara Ojo is an extremely involved student leader at WSU.\u00a0 She understands the importance of incoming students seeing people that look like them in leadership roles on campus. Therefore, Omolara has dedicated her time at Worcester State to making sure this happens.\u00a0 She recently took some time to share her story with us.\u00a0 We are excited to share it with you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[14,1,9,15],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversity-inclusion","category-faces-of-leadership","category-interview","category-student","tag-third-world-alliance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStudent Omolara Ojo Talks Culture & Representation on Campus | Worcester State University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worcester.edu\/campus-life\/2018\/10\/01\/student-omolara-ojo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Student Omolara Ojo Talks Culture & Representation on Campus | Worcester State University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nigerian American Omolara Ojo is an extremely involved student leader at WSU.\u00a0 She understands the importance of incoming students seeing people that look like them in leadership roles on campus. 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