By Micaela Myers
Ahmed Balogun Mohammed came from Nigeria to study mechanical engineering at the University of Wyoming when he was just 16 years old. “I was the youngest in my graduating class,” he says. “I really liked that there was a low student-to-faculty ratio at UW.”
Now a junior, he is making the most of his American college experience. In April 2014, he became the first international candidate to win the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) presidency.
Faculty support: “I really love the engineering program here,” says Balogun, who is an honors student. “I like the support that’s available.” He often takes advantage of faculty office hours and finds his professors eager to help him succeed.
Balogun also found the International Students and Scholars staff very supportive as he transitioned into life in America, and he urges other international students to take advantage of the resources available.
Student experiences: “I wanted to experience college in its entirety,” Balogun says. “What I like about UW is that I can balance my academics and extracurricular activities.
“I got involved with the Multicultural Student Leadership Initiative my first year as a mentee, then I graduated from the program and became a mentor myself.”
Balogun served as co-chair of the United Multicultural Council and as an Alternative Spring Break leader for SLCE (Service, Leadership and Community Engagement). He is also active with the Wyoming African Students Association and the International Student Association. Balogun believes his involvement in these organizations helps him gain important skills, grow and improve. For example, at first he was very uncomfortable with public speaking. “Now that I’ve done that and pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone, I’m more comfortable speaking to anyone at any time.”
Balogun’s leadership was recognized when he received the 2014 Willena Stanford Commitment to Diversity Award. “It was a huge honor for me and a blessing,” he says.
Into the future: “My future is to be an entrepreneur back home in Nigeria,” Balogun says. “I’m looking toward manufacturing at this point. Nigeria is a developing nation. There are a lot of opportunities to contribute to the growth of the nation. It also has a serious problem of unemployment, and I want to be able to contribute to reducing that and encourage industrialization.”
