In November, the Institute of International Education (IIE) reported that the number of Nigerian students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities increased by 22 percent in 2022-23. Nigeria emerged as the only African nation among the top-10 countries with the highest number of students studying in the U.S.
Those numbers do not consider those of other West African nations, particularly Ghana, and the large number of first-generation U.S.-born students of West African descent who attend U.S. colleges and universities. The University Athletic Association (UAA) has had several student-athletes of West African descent in its history with that number rising significantly, particularly among Nigerians, in recent years, consistent with the IIE study.
UAA Series on West African Student-Athletes
Thirty-three current and former UAA student-athletes and one current head coach of West African descent will be featured in a four-part series describing their culture’s values around education and family, and their individual experiences as they relate to their identity. With a strong and determined cultural focus on education, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), UAA institutions have proven to be a good fit.
Though the series participants share a West African identity and many of the same values, they have a multitude of individual experiences and interests that would be reflected in any cross-section of Association student-athletes.
Some of the student-athletes were born in their West African country of origin and some have never been to Africa. Some visit regularly, while others have been to their country of origin only once or twice.
The series includes 2008 University of Rochester graduates and men’s basketball teammates Jon Onyiriuka and Uche Ndubizu, Case Western Reserve University sisters and volleyball teammates Jennifer and Amanda Ngo, and track & field brothers who attend different UAA institutions with Manny Eribo competing at Rochester and younger brother Gabe Eribo at University of Chicago. The Ngo sisters are joined in the series by sophomore teammate Elizabeth Onyekwere.
2021 Washington University graduate Eka Jose and 2022 Carnegie Mellon University graduate Obi Nnaeto each co-founded their school’s BLAC (Black Letterwinning Athlete Coalition for WashU and Black LatinX Athlete Coalition for Carnegie Mellon) organization. With the first BLAC group in the UAA formed in 2020 at UChicago, those who graduated before then did not have access to an athletic-specific organizations around their identity/ethnicity. Many, like 2019 Brandeis University graduate Doyin Ogundiran found community in non-athletic groups such as the Black African Student Organization.
Rochester’s head volleyball coach Ladi Iya played for the Nigerian National Volleyball Team, but like current WashU track & field student-athlete Ebun Opata, spent several years living in the United Kingdom.
Nearly two-thirds of Nigerians come from one of three tribes: Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. Several people mentioned their tribal origin, including a trio of Igbo men’s basketball student-athletes, Ndubizu, WashU senior Chidera Nwokolo, and junior Emmanuel Onuama of NYU.
Freshman wrestler Titobiloluwa Akenrote of UChicago, 2023 WashU graduate Abayomi Awoyomi, and 2019 Carnegie Mellon graduate Adedamola Orimolade all specifically noted they are from the Yoruba tribe. NYU junior track & field student-athlete Michelle Uvieghara is of Itsekiri ethnicity, a Yoruboid subgroup, and has attended the annual Itsekiri national convention that brings together tribe members who live in the U.S.
West African Series by the Numbers
Just as Nigeria has the most students of any African country studying at U.S. colleges and universities, those of Nigerian descent make up most of the African student-athletes in the UAA. Twenty-five of the 34 students and coaches in the series are Nigerian with six being Ghanian (CWRU junior Kwabena Agyemang, WashU alum Melvin Aninagyei-Bonsu; UChicago junior Jason Asare; Rochester freshman Bernard Dushie, Jr.; Emory University freshman Kofi Igyan; and Brandeis freshman Nana Kudom). Cameroon (CWRU freshman Bidinga Kapapi), Benin (Brandeis alum Akim Sanni), and Sierra Leone (Emory senior Kenya Sei) are also represented.
Twelve participants are alums from UAA institutions, including Iya, who earned her master’s degree in business administration at Rochester after earning her undergraduate degree at University of Evansville in Indiana. Six people in the series graduate this May.
Among the 16 current student-athletes who are part of the series, five are juniors, four are sophomores, and seven are first-years. Peculiar “Pekky” Nzegbuna of CWRU is a graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in aerospace engineering.
Each Association school has at least two participants in the series with Rochester having the most with seven. In addition to the aforementioned people, the Yellowjackets are also represented by sophomore men’s basketball student-athlete Tomiwa Adetosoye and sophomore swimmer Tosan Obatoyinbo.
Seven sports are represented: basketball, football, soccer, swimming, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.
Five people were also part of the “UAA Conversations About Race and Racism” in 2020: Awoyomi, Jose, Onyiriuka, 2022 UChicago volleyball alum Temilade Adekoya, and 2023 Carnegie Mellon track & field alum Ola Owudunni.
Four people featured are also of non-African descent: Emory freshman soccer player Jaden Emoghene (English), Nwokolo (Trinidadian), Onyiriuka (Black American), and WashU senior track & field athlete Charis Riebe (German American).
The majors of the participants vary across several disciplines with nearly one-third majoring in neuroscience/brain and/or cognitive science, seven majoring in finance or business, and five majoring in biology. Minors include jazz studies, creative writing, electrical and computer engineering, human computer interaction, chemistry, Spanish, and African American studies.
IN MEMORIAM
Christian Yemga played for the men’s basketball program at Brandeis, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2011 and his graduate degree in the International Business School in 2013. He was tragically killed when he was struck by a car on Oct. 1, 2022. He was very proud of his West African (Cameroon) heritage and no doubt would have loved being part of this series.
Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz spoke about him during his 2023 commencement address: “Christian exemplified what it means to be a Brandeisian. He was intellectually curious, passionate about his studies and business, and always had time to help others. I know that Christian’s death continues to be deeply felt by members of our community.”