Four SOAS Students Named 'Future Leaders'
14 September 2011
Four SOAS students have been selected as Future Leaders 2011-12, a list of "100 of Britain's most outstanding new black graduates".
The four students are Joshua Price (BA History 2011), Toib Olomowewe (BA Economics and History 2011), Olamide Bada (LLB School of Law 2011) and Kanika Mayi (BA African Studies and Politics 2011).
"I am wholeheartedly overwhelmed, as this tops off a great year for me," said Toib Olomowewe. "In January I was chosen to become a Parliamentary Ambassador after completing the prestigious MP Shadowing Scheme run by Operation Black Vote. In March, I also graduated from the Windsor Fellowship's flagship two-year Leadership Program for Undergraduates."
Olomowewe is now in Cairo studying Arabic and will begin working next year with Teach First, a charity that recruits outstanding graduates to teach disadvantaged students in the UK.
The Future Leaders list was announced at an event held at London's City Hall on 2 September. London Mayor Boris Johnson spoke at the event, which was attended by dignitaries including SOAS Honorary Fellow Baroness Amos, who is Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations.
Among the other SOAS students' accomplishments:
- Joshua Price has a black belt in two styles of karate, was campaigns officer and events manager for MP Chuka Umunna's election campaign in Streatham and is a former president-chair of the SOAS Labour Party Society.
- Kanika Mayi was anti-racism officer and co-president of the African Caribbean Society at SOAS. She has also been liaison officer for the Harambe Endeavor Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation of African students at leading universies in the United States and the UK. She also mentors young girls who attend her church youth group.
- Olamide Bada was co-president of the SOAS African Caibbean Society and team coordinator for Elevation Networks' Visible Women, which seeks to raise aspirations for women and increase diversity in the workplace.
"By far my most rewarding achievement to date is being featured in the Future Leaders magazine," said Bada. "To be recognised as one of Britain's most outstanding students is an amazing accolade and has made every single step of my journey worthwhile. I believe that sky is the limit and I will not stop until I have fulfilled my purpose in life. Hard work always pays dividends."
The Future Leaders list is a project of Powerful Media, a media consultancy. Nominations are open to students of African or African Caribbean descent living in the UK. Winners are selected by a panel of judges who look for academically accomplished students who have also done "something exceptional outside of their studies that showcased their leadership potential".
The project also selected four SOAS students as Future Leaders last year.
For further information, contact:
William Friar
Communications Officer
Tel. +44 (0)20 7898 4135
w.friar@soas.ac.uk
