Friday, 29th March 2024
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Living in Coventry: What life is like for a Nigerian in Coventry

My name is Adedoyinsola Adebanjo and I just graduated from Coventry University with Msc in Oil and Gas Management. Coming to Coventry in 2016 was one of the greatest decisions of my life. At first, I thought it was too far from home, I thought it was a place I wouldn’t feel welcomed. But to…

My name is Adedoyinsola Adebanjo and I just graduated from Coventry University with Msc in Oil and Gas Management. Coming to Coventry in 2016 was one of the greatest decisions of my life. At first, I thought it was too far from home, I thought it was a place I wouldn’t feel welcomed. But to my greatest surprise, it literally felt like home from the day I arrived. The people, the food, the city, the university, the societies and the cultures acquaint a sense of belonging for me.

One thing I love doing is cooking. Within the city itself, there are over 10 stores to get Nigerian food stuffs and more than 5 Nigerian restaurants in Coventry. Coventry is a place with diversified people and culture and that is evidenced as it is now the City of Culture for 2021.

Coventry has been under a major transformation for the last few years now, so it’s improving beautifully by the day anyways. One of the more recent additions to the city is Fargo Village, which is Coventry’s new creative quarter and is full of local businesses selling everything from clothing to food.

Few weeks after I arrived, I joined the Nigerian Society within the students’ union. This gave me the opportunity to network with different people especially people from African and Caribbean backgrounds. The people in the community and the university were so accommodating that it literally felt like I was in my home. As a result of this, I decided to find a way to give back to the community and the people in general. I became heavily involved in Coventry University students’ union and within a year I was elected as a student trustee and Black Minority and Ethnic students’ councillor. The community and the university created a drive for me to excel, I was elected three times to represent over 30,000 students from different backgrounds. I’m now the Vice President for Education Coventry University Students Union (2017-2019) and the youngest black person on the Board of Governors for Coventry University.

If you’d like to enhance your future with Coventry University, there is still to to apply for this September, not to mention intakes in January and May. We also have a series of open days in August. Take your next step today.

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