Sodiq Onanuga
Sodiq’s father left Nigeria alone in hopes of supporting his family and someday being able to bring them to the United States.
Although this move allowed Sodiq to attend private school in Nigeria, the family continued to struggle with finances and putting food on the table. In 2017, Sodiq and his two brothers finally arrived in the United States.
Sodiq became an active and integral member of our teen empowerment programs upon arriving in Cincinnati, and graduated from high school in May of 2018. He hopes to study nursing and has recently completed his State Tested Nurses Aide training, becoming one step closer to his goal.
“I want to study nursing because I want to understand how life works and be someone that people look to when they’re sick. I enjoy helping others.”
In addition to accomplishing this feat, Sodiq has been accepted into the Global Learning Project, a social enterprise working to reduce generational cycles of poverty amongst young people through offering relevant STEM and Global Travel opportunities. Sodiq will be participating in the technology boot camp, where he will learn how to code and make apps.
Rounding out his busy post-high school summer, Sodiq will also be participating in the FotoFocus Biennial project, where he will be sharing his daily life as a refugee through a series of snapshots.
After only a short time in Cincinnati, Sodiq has carved a path of success and accomplishment, and will only continue to achieve more, as he believes that “you have the opportunity to be whatever you want to be” in the United States.