The Non-Immigrant Student

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I know, I didn’t see this change of plan coming too but I think it’s an episode we all need.

Just incase you need to sit in/sit with your feelings this week, I’m here for and with you.  Happy Listening!

Anyway, I hope your week is off to a great start and hope that you’re keeping HOPE alive regarding the 2023 Nigerian Elections… #fingerscrossed #NewNigeria #OBIdient. 

Sending you lots of peace, respite and love,
Tolu

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The Non-Immigrant Student podcast is 2-years old today!

As I said in the Season 3 Trailer,''Your girl is beck''...and for good this time!

In this episode, I bring you up to speed on everything that has been happening with me since I graduated from Cornell in May 2022. From the updates I also share, I hope you'd understand why the hiatus took that long, and realize how adjusting to a new life can be very tough! (I'd say wicked in-fact but we international students don't talk about it enough - see Lesson 3 from August 2022).

Anyway, Welcome again! It's still a long year ahead of us but the plan is to be in your podcast playlists, live, at least twice a month for the rest of the year; so help me God. I'm pretty pumped to be back and so happy to be doing this again!

On becoming two years old, Happy Anniversary to us all...and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording,

Tolu

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Please rate the podcast and leave a review wherever you listen; it helps me reach other people like you. Also, follow here for more :) Thank you! 

The Non-Immigrant podcast is 2 years old today!

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Happy New Year my fellow NISs!

Welcome back, as you join me on this journey of self-rediscovery, self-altruism and more!  Yes, I’m back for good this time!

In Season 3, I’m going to be sharing my everyday life experiences as I navigate Adulthood (Faith, Money, Lifestyle & Relationships) and Corporate America as a Non-Immigrant! 

Season 3 will be all about the TEA! 

I’ve really missed doing this and I’ve missed talking to you!

So see you in the next episode(s)?

Tolu

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Please rate the podcast and leave a review wherever you listen; it helps me reach other people like you. Also, follow here for more :) Thank you! 

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Grace Imanariyo was born and raised in Rwanda and is the youngest of 4 girls in her family. She grew up in a loving Christian home and was always passionate about Technology and getting to meet people. She received her Bachelor's degree (with honors) in Computer Science from Muhlenberg College and her Master's degree in Engineering Management from Cornell University.

Grace loves to sing and play the keyboard and guitar. She loves everything about Worship and Praise music and is a recording artist and worship leader with 6 released songs. You can check out her songs/Youtube channel here. Her song  Dusukeho Umwuka has over 10K views on Youtube and is my personal favorite! In her free time, you will find her meeting new people, playing an instrument  or songwriting. Her goals are to be a Manager in a Tech-related field, and to continue leading worship and sharing the good news of Jesus.

Tolulope Olukanmi is none other than your favorite Podcast Host! She is the first of 5 girls and a proud big sister! Also, as you read this, she's finding it very hard to write her own bio! She thinks all you need to know about her is already all over her social media (which she believes you've been following 👀) and in her podcast episodes (which she knows you've been listening to 🙃).  In her free time, you'd catch her fantasizing of being on TV someday but till then, she asks me to tell you to enjoy her written, audio and visual content!

We hope you enjoy listening as much we enjoyed recording!...and please let us know in the comments section your thoughts, feedback and favorite takeaways! 

Cross-continent Love 🇷🇼🇳🇬,
Grace & Tolu


Disclaimer: All views expressed in this episode are ours and do not represent those of our employers, their affiliates, or employees.

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Hello my fellow NISs!

The long-awaited episode is here!  🎉

Listening to both episodes again brought me so much joy & laughter that I thought to share Part 1 with you - to at least give you a head-start, and also bring some joy & laughter your way this weekend!

The planned official release for both Part 1 & 2 is on November 1st, 2022... but in the mean time, enjoy this unprecedented, unofficial episode release of how we landed our jobs at McKinsey & Co.  and at Google!

November 1st, 2022  also happens to be my 2-year anniversary in the US and 5-month anniversary at Google!  I know, corny much but I'M SO EXCITED and HAPPY to finally be sharing this with you!

To friends & fans of this podcast, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!! You have all my love and respect!

As always, I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording!

See you again on Nov. 1st,
Tolu

Disclaimer: All views expressed in this episode are ours and do not represent those of our employers, their affiliates, or employees.

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Nyamekye Afua Nkansah, LL.M.  and Abena Opong-Fosu, LL.M. are recent graduates from the Cornell Law School.

Afua graduated with an LL.B. from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2017 winning the award for “Best Project” in that academic year. She ventured on to “Makola”  which is the Ghana School of Law, Accra, where she practiced her law degree and was later called to the Ghana bar in 2020. Her interests are in public policy, international law and human rights. In her spare time, Afua loves to read novels, watch movies, and go shopping!

Abena, also an attorney from Ghana, graduated with an LL.B. from Kwame Nkrumah University in 2017, and was called to the Ghana bar in 2019.  Abena worked in a leading private practice law firm in Ghana as well as interned for the Chief Justice of Ghana. In her one year at Cornell, she has worked as a research assistant for the legal information institute, a teaching assistant in a depositions course and won the award for ''Highest grade'' in the Financial Institutions course. Her interests are in Business Law and Regulation.  In her spare time, she likes to travel, try exotic meals and create desserts! She even turned her passion for creating desserts into a start-up business, and you can check it out here.

Of the dynamic duo, Afua has decided that returning to Ghana is her best option and the next step for her right now while Abena would like to explore her options in the US before making a decision whether or not to return home.

It has been a pleasure getting to know them while attending grad school together as well as learning Ghanaian slangs like ''hot'' and ''cref''. 

We hope that this episode encourages you to be comfortable with whatever decision you make post-completion of your graduate/undergraduate studies in another country and it encourages you to thrive wherever you find yourself.

 Remember, if we can do it, you can do it too!

West African Love,

Tolu x Afua x Abena

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Dedicated to those in waiting.

P.S:  This episode is an addendum to a Medium article I wrote - ''Remember, and Do Not Forget : A very long poem about putting our Trust in God''. I hope it blesses you too :)

Tolu

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...It’s one thing to admit it and admit it openly but a whole ‘nother thing to put a label on it. I have now put a label on it. My time at Cornell has been tough. I have struggled and I’m almost coming out on top, still alive and gasping for breath but I made it. Graduation is around the corner; I still have a lot of questions but now I know that I would rather be at Hollywood than at..... I would rather be on TV than in front of it. Also, it took me so long but now I know that Jesus still loves me. He never left my side. I was lonely but never alone. I was always cared for even when I didn’t ask for it.

'Oh you’d be fine’, ‘This too shall pass’,  ‘It’d soon be over’, words that felt like non-existent hugs and fake smiles. You don’t tell that to a girl who wants to sleep all day so she doesn’t have to get out of bed to once again to sit in front of a laptop all day wishing that giving up was an option.  You don’t tell that to the girl who spends her daily bath time wondering what she’s going to make of her life after grad school. You don’t tell that to anyone, anyone at all, for whom their whole semester feels like a blur because they are on the verge of failing a graduation requirement class or dropping out of school.

One thing this season proved to me anyways, is that God is the only thing that fills my void, what a friend I have in Him. Needless to say, I got lucky with my addiction. Some people never have the chance to break away nor come to admit that they need help or a way out. I look back and the only thing I see is the constant of who God was in all of it. I learned to truly kiss the (silent) waves that threw me against the Rock of Ages .On Christ, my solid rock, I stand because all other ground is sinking sand. I’m grateful for my faith and the opportunity to have built my foundation in Him. In Him, I live and move and have my being. Let all strivings cease because I have the mind of Christ. 

Anyway, the music stops now because I am no longer dancing with the one who seeks my downfall or destruction. I am no longer dancing with the devil....

 An excerpt from Dancing with the Devil , written by Tolulope Esther Olukanmi


There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
-Maya Angelou

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Happy Labor Weekend guys!

This one's for my prospective undergraduate friends/audience planning to study at a College or University in USA!

Fath' Ma Marcelah is a sophomore from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo majoring in Landscape Architecture at Cornell University. In her spare time, she loves to design and enjoys dancing.

Daniel Idakwoji is a sophomore from Abuja,Nigeria majoring in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University.

Kato David Adam is a freshman from Rwanda, intending to major in Political Science at the College of Arts and Sciences at UPenn.  Also, he is interested in other forms of academia - Medicine, International Relations, Philosophy, Ethics- and loves engaging in or listening to conversations centered around these knowledge domains. In his spare time, David enjoys volunteering, staying engaged in the community, spending time with friends and listening to music.

Join Fath’Ma, Daniel, David and I as we discuss the requisites to applying and obtaining admission in an Ivy League University!

I hope you enjoy listening and learning, as much as we enjoyed recording and sharing!

Ivy League Love,

Fath'Ma, Daniel, David & Tolu


N/B: This episode was originally recorded during an Instagram Live Event on Monday 6th September, 2021 and the video recording can be found here!

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Please rate the podcast and leave a review wherever you listen; it helps me reach other people like you. Also, follow here for more :) Thank you!