By Dave DeFusco
When Adebanke Ajayi stepped off the plane in New York, cradling her infant daughter Tiffany, she felt full with the promise of opportunity but humbled by the sacrifices she knew lay ahead for a newcomer with no roots in a strange land. Fresh from Lagos, Nigeria, with dreams of earning an M.S. in Digital Marketing and Media at the Katz School, she faced balancing motherhood and gaining an educationa daunting task even for those with a well-established support network.
It was a very emotional time for me. It was taxing, said Ajayi. Every time I talk about it, I get emotional because every faculty member at the Katz School welcomed me, like I was in their home.
The Katz School didnt just offer Ajayi a seat in the classroom; it offered her a community. With her husband back in Nigeria, Ajayi found solace in her professors and classmates who treated her with kindness and understanding. They held her young daughter while she presented in class, helped carry her between classes and gently offered their perspective on parenting.
Having a baby while going to school was really, really challenging, said Ajayi, but everyone at the Katz School was part of my journey, holding me up, cheering me on, telling me they understood because they have children, so they knew how it felt. It reaffirmed for me that nothing should stop you from achieving your dreams.
This communal support wasnt far from what Ajayi had grown up with in Lagos. In Nigerian culture, family extends beyond the nuclear unit. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles all play a role in raising children, creating a strong support system. This close-knit, family-oriented culture had shaped Ajayis worldview, and she was pleasantly surprised to find echoes of it at the Katz School. The Katz School experience is the most amazing thing thats happened to me, she said.
Her journey also inspired her to create the Katz School African Student Association (KASA), which has become an indispensable resource for over 100 students from Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The members help with everything from airport pickups to securing first months rentoffering a sense of belonging and shared cultural heritage.
It can be difficult getting a landlord to extend a lease without a paystub or credit score, said Ajayi, who is the student groups president. We look for Africans already established in the community to help rent out a room or an apartment.
Ajayi wasnt alone in finding the Katz School to be a home away from home. When Daniel Owusu-Mensah arrived from Ghana in 2022 to pursue his M.S. in Digital Marketing and Media, he was one of only two African students pursuing graduate studies at the Katz School.
It got lonely because I didnt have anybody to relate to, he said, but the Katz School staff was always there for me, helping me with things as basic as getting a SIM card for my phone and getting me connected to the internet.
Like Ajayi, Owusu-Mensah played a key role in building KASA, creating a community where students could celebrate their culture and lift each other up during challenging times. When I graduated in May, KASA threw a surprise party for me, said Owusu-Mensah, who is the groups alumni liaison and a business development and marketing associate at Kimber Health in New York. Its like weve always been together, from day one. Anytime Im here, Ill always be available for my fellow Africans. We have a deep bond.
For Joy Awoleye, who arrived at the Katz School last year from Nigeria to study cybersecurity, that sense of community was equally palpable. After completing his bachelors degree in computer science at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Nigeria, he was encouraged by Ajayi to consider the Katz School while exploring masters programs in New York. As the student groups general secretary, Awoleye is giving back by helping new students with their applications, setting up bank accounts and scouting out housing.
When were missing home, we talk to each other, we crack jokes, we lift each other up, said Awoleye. We go to the beach, we meet up after school, we help each other with schoolwork. Weve created this beautiful community that has given us a sense of pride and security.
In a city like New York, known for its diversity and vibrant immigrant communities, the Katz Schools African Student Association reflects the determination and spirit of African students. Theyve come for the same reasons generations of immigrants have before themto seek a better life, to achieve their dreams and to lift each other up along the way. For Ajayi and for many others, KASA is more than just a groupits family.
Its more than just cultural exchangeits about building a support system that enriches the campus and helps African students thrive in an unfamiliar environment, said Ajayi. Whether it be through networking, mentoring or simple camaraderie, KASA has made the transition to life in the United States much easier for all of us.
