I was five years old when my family left Chicago for Lagos. At that age, I didn’t fully grasp the weight of leaving one world for another, but I knew that the rhythm of life was changing. Chicago’s tall buildings and cold winters gave way to Lagos’s bustling streets, vibrant markets, and the ever-present hum of community life.
Growing up in Lagos meant growing up in layers, learning that respect often came before opinion, that joy could be loud and unapologetic, and that food was more than sustenance; it was heritage on a plate. Yet, because Chicago was still my first home, I often returned to the United States throughout my life, each visit adding new threads to the tapestry of who I was becoming. By the time I settled down in Maryland, I had learned the art of moving between worlds, not erasing one to fit into another, but finding ways to hold both.
That skill, that duality, is at the core of what I bring to my work as Director of International Student Services at Hamilton College. The students I meet may not share my exact path, but they know I understand the immigrant experience in all its complexity: the thrill of opportunity, the ache of distance, the constant recalibration between the life you left and the one you’re building. We are not all from the same country, but in many ways, we are traveling the same emotional terrain.
Helping students navigate Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, and American life isn’t just about logistics, it’s about building a sense of belonging that doesn’t require them to sand down the edges of who they are. My office becomes a place where they can ask questions without fear, where their accents are not corrected but celebrated, and where their cultural traditions are seen as assets rather than obstacles. It’s the ease of mutual understanding, knowing that, like them, I’ve stood at the threshold of the unfamiliar and found my footing without losing myself.
That same philosophy will shape my work as co-chair of the ad-hoc Committee on Engagement and Belonging in the Staff Assembly. I plan to ensure that belonging feels as natural for new staff as it does for those who have been here for decades, not because they’ve assimilated, but because they’ve been welcomed exactly as they are. My vision is to create spaces where stories can be exchanged, curiosity is met with openness, and differences are recognized as strengths.
Belonging, to me, is not the end result of “fitting in.” It is the freedom to be fully seen and valued without compromise. My life between Chicago and Lagos taught me that home is not always one place, sometimes, it’s the meeting point between worlds. At Hamilton, my mission is to help students and staff alike find that meeting point for themselves.