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 education鈥攁 daunting task even for those with a well-established support network.
鈥淚t was a very emotional time for me. It was taxing,鈥 said Ajayi. 鈥淓very time I talk about it, I get emotional because every faculty member at the Katz School welcomed me, like I was in their home.鈥
The Katz School didn鈥檛 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.
鈥淗aving a baby while going to school was really, really challenging,鈥 said Ajayi, 鈥渂ut 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.鈥
This communal support wasn鈥檛 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 Ajayi鈥檚 worldview, and she was pleasantly surprised to find echoes of it at the Katz School. 鈥淭he Katz School experience is the most amazing thing that鈥檚 happened to me,鈥 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 month鈥檚 rent鈥攐ffering a sense of belonging and shared cultural heritage.
鈥淚t can be difficult getting a landlord to extend a lease without a paystub or credit score,鈥 said Ajayi, who is the student group鈥檚 president. 鈥淲e look for Africans already established in the community to help rent out a room or an apartment.鈥
Ajayi wasn鈥檛 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.
鈥淚t got lonely because I didn鈥檛 have anybody to relate to,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut 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.鈥
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. 鈥淲hen I graduated in May, KASA threw a surprise party for me,鈥 said Owusu-Mensah, who is the group鈥檚 alumni liaison and a business development and marketing associate at Kimber Health in New York. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like we鈥檝e always been together, from day one. Anytime I鈥檓 here, I鈥檒l always be available for my fellow Africans. We have a deep bond.鈥
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 bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Nigeria, he was encouraged by Ajayi to consider the Katz School while exploring master鈥檚 programs in New York. As the student group鈥檚 general secretary, Awoleye is giving back by helping new students with their applications, setting up bank accounts and scouting out housing.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e missing home, we talk to each other, we crack jokes, we lift each other up,鈥 said Awoleye. 鈥淲e go to the beach, we meet up after school, we help each other with schoolwork. We鈥檝e created this beautiful community that has given us a sense of pride and security.鈥
In a city like New York, known for its diversity and vibrant immigrant communities, the Katz School鈥檚 African Student Association reflects the determination and spirit of African students. They鈥檝e come for the same reasons generations of immigrants have before them鈥攖o 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 group鈥攊t鈥檚 family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more than just cultural exchange鈥攊t鈥檚 about building a support system that enriches the campus and helps African students thrive in an unfamiliar environment,鈥 said Ajayi. 鈥淲hether 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.鈥
