Raised in Nigeria, international studies major Ufuoma Otu says Loyola gave her the opportunity to blossom academically and socially in an environment that welcomed diversity.

“As a bicultural student, my background has provided me with the requisite knowledge that makes a global perspective unlabored,” Otu says. “Nonetheless, my ideas and views have been broadened and refined even further as a result of my undergraduate experience in a school that appreciates the value of a diverse student population.”

Although Otu is not Catholic, she was attracted to Loyola’s Jesuit and academic reputation. She transferred to the university during the spring semester of 1999 from another university because she felt there was more to the college experience than she was receiving.

"My ideas and views have been broadened and refined even further as a result of my undergraduate experience in a school that appreciates the value of a diverse student population.”

During her time at Loyola, Otu has maintained a place on the Dean’s List, has embraced volunteer work and taken advantage of internships, netting four in two years. “I will always be grateful to the university’s career center which offered the utmost support, provided I was proactive and unrelenting in my desire to gain valuable work experience.”

Otu was publicity chair of the Pan-African Students at Loyola (PASAL), and was one of 14 student delegates representing her assigned country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Loyola at the National Model United Nations Conference this April.

“I will remember most the plethora of resources that were available to me in my early days as a transfer student, by fellow students and the various departments,” she says of Loyola. “And also the sense of camaraderie that existed between students and the Loyola staff during my time here; such an intercourse is vital to student morale.”

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