Editor’s Note: As we celebrate African Heritage Month in February, we’re proud to spotlight some of our own people, Black culture, contributions and history.
Here, we meet fourth year StFX human nutrition student Olajesu Abioye. Ms. Abioye is actively involved on campus. She serves as a Black Student Peer Mentor and was a co-founder and is the current president of the Africans@X Society. She’s also served on the executive of the Human Nutrition Student and the BLACC Student Society. Ms. Abioye has been the recipient of a NSERC-USRA student undergraduate research award and has conducted food science research in human nutrition professor Dr. Marcia English’s lab. Most recently she started A Taste of Africa initiative, which brings the food and cultures of African countries to the StFX community.
StFX student Olajesu Abioye fostering belonging and connection, en route to a nutrition degree
Olajesu Abioye, a StFX human nutrition student, has brought a Taste of Africa, and of belonging to StFX, bringing the foods and culture from Madagascar to Kenya to the university community.
“I’m proud and happy about that. It’s my own way to contribute. It was a way of combining my nutrition studies with my cultural background,” says Ms. Abioye, who is originally from Nigeria.
Last semester she applied and received an award from the StFX Students' Union Annual Givings Fund to offer a Taste of Africa—an initiative that draws on volunteers and students from different parts of Africa who lead making a meal from their country. The meals are prepared, packaged, and offered free to students who’ve signed up in advance.
“It gives African students a taste of home and it shares the African culture with others on campus,” Ms. Abioye says.
Last semester, the Taste of Africa initiative ran four times, and it will be held six times this semester.
CONNECTION AND BELONGING
Fostering connection and belonging has been a theme throughout Ms. Abioye’s years at StFX.
With friends, she started the Africans@X Society, or Afrix, and this year is its president.
While StFX already has a BLACC Student Society, which she was a part of, she says she was familiar with the challenges of integrating somewhere new after moving to Canada with her family about eight years ago. She wanted to help ease the path for students in similar situations.
The society is a place for students to ask questions about school, to direct them to resources, and to host events that have an African connection, like choosing an African film for a movie night. “It’s helping them feel familiar, that they can connect.”
Ever since her second year, Ms. Abioye has been actively involved on campus. Along with her studies, she’s volunteered with Kevin’s Corner Food Resource Centre and has served on the executive of three societies, the BLACC Society, the Nutrition Society, and Afrix.
This year, she is also a Black Student Peer Mentor in the Dr. Agnes Calliste Academic and Cultural Centre. She helps organize programing such as study sessions and movie nights that educate and entertain, helps provide resources, and acts as someone students can talk to.
“My goal is to support Black students on campus,” she says.
“It is empowering to be able to say I was able to help, even in a very small way. The best part of the job is helping people out in whatever way you can.”
NUTRITION FOCUS
Ms. Abioye has always been interested in knowing how food works and how food gets to the table. She took nutrition courses in high school and knew she wanted to do a nutrition degree at university.
After graduation from StFX she says she’d like to complete further education on a path to becoming a food service dietitian and working in nutrition in settings like a university meal hall, hospital cafeteria, or long term care home.
She says her time at StFX has been amazing, particular in the Human Nutrition Department.
“They really help you at StFX. You can tell they want students to do well.”
Support everywhere has stood out. Ms. Abioye says while she had been accepted at several schools to study nutrition, she choose StFX because of the assistance she received right from the start. “They provided everything I needed.”
At StFX, Ms. Abioye has also been a recipient of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) USRA undergraduate student award and had the opportunity to conduct food science research in human nutrition professor Dr. Marcia English’s lab on alkaline protein extraction.
She is also on the committee for the African Heritage Month dinner held at Morrison Meal Hall. She remembers being excited the first time Sodexo offered this initiative. The food, however, didn’t quite match her expectation.
“I liked the effort and that they made the first step,” she said.
She provided feedback and was one of several students asked to join the committee to provide input on the meal. Now she says the event has improved. “I’m happy I made a difference in that.”
Over the years she has also held student jobs with the Sodexo catering services team and at the Angus L. Macdonald Library. “I enjoyed every single one of my opportunities.”
As StFX celebrates African Heritage Month in February, Ms. Abioye says it is a nice opportunity to experience a culture that one is not familiar with, and to celebrate diversity through food, activities, events, and more.
She encourages everyone to show up, and to ask questions. “It’s for all StFX to come and try new things. That’s the best way to educate yourself. It’s like a culture exchange.”
