Awesome Olasope interview Awesome: The Real London

I grew up in Nigeria. I'm a twin raised by a single mother in very humble household. Where I come from, success is only guaranteed once you're educated. I used to listen to radio a lot. I think that's where I first got my affinity for being a presenter.

When I was in high school I was very shy. When I left for college, I made sure I was talking to at least five people every day, and that helped me to be comfortable meeting and talking to strangers. An online TV channel came to college, and, because I was out there always talking to people, I got the opportunity to work for them, presenting documentaries and creating social media content.

Back home, I have a 10,000-capacity fish farm. I was managing that and doing radio work on the side. Then Covid came and it affected the farm, so I started thinking: if the media career doesn't work in the long run, what are you going to do?

I looked at different fields in the tech world, and fell in love with data analytics. It suits my personality. Data analysis is all about storytelling, and that's what I've done my whole life.

I'm really glad I chose London Met. Initially I just wanted to come, get my degree, get a job. But when I met the London Met community, I really felt included and loved the environment.

I was nominated as a course representative. The lecturers listen to the voice and opinions of students. If there's any problem, anything that the students need, any concerns, I'm always at their doorstep stating those concerns, and they were always available to answer any queries. I felt supported. It was also the first step towards being elected President of the Students' Union. 

London is vibrant. It operates around the clock, and there's always something to do. You feel like you can be whoever you want to be and achieve what you set out to achieve.

As President of the Students' Union, I'm working on home away from home campaign to help people feel valued and a sense of belonging. People are really nice here. They're open to stopping to have a chat with you. Everybody, even at the top level of the university, is always working around the clock to ensure that London Met is as inclusive as it can be.

When I go back home, I tell people how awesome London Met is. I can remember a guy who was talking to me from back home. He was searching for schools, and came across London Met, and saw a picture of me on the Board of Governors' page. I was wearing my hat, which is a traditional hat back home. He saw that and he said: “I'm going to this school.” And I thought 'Wow! You came to London Met because of me?' It’s nice to know that I influenced a few people to come here. Some have even reached out to me on social media to ask me how life is at London Met. I feel like I am a living testimony to the great stuff that happens here.