support through Riley Childers, director of international student advising and success, in the Christel DeHaan Center for Global Engagement. Her mentorship began during his enrollment process and deepened over time, especially as Oyeleke got involved as a volunteer photographer for Celebration of Flags as a freshman and sophomore. It was Childers who encouraged
community—this time from his teammates and faculty advisor, Dr. Stephanie Wideman. “Joining the Speech and Debate Team has been one of the better decisions I’ve made in college,” said Oyeleke. “Being part of the team has been a great experience. I’ve been able to travel to Chicago, Michigan, North Carolina, and several other states.
him to move from behind the camera to behind the podium and share his story as one of the event’s featured speaker as a junior. Like many international students, Oyeleke encountered challenges landing on a new continent. Though English is his first language, he still had to adjust to unfamiliar cultural norms—traditions like Thanksgiving and events like the Super Bowl, which he had heard of but didn’t fully grasp its significance. The food options in the dining hall were very different. And he was navigating all of this while facing the usual growing pains that come with being 17. “The culture in Nigeria is very different from the culture in America,” Oyeleke explained. “In Nigeria, everyone felt like family, regardless of whether or not you actually knew each other. You didn’t have to be related by blood to feel like there was a connection; you just had to be Nigerian. In the U.S., my experience has been that you have to be more intentional about finding those similarities and building relationships with others.”
But what’s nice about it is you’re not traveling alone. You’re traveling with a group of people on a Friday night on a five-hour bus ride, so of course you get to know each other.” He has already made a name for himself. Most recently, he was named the International Champion in Audio Narration at the International Forensics Association competition in Dublin, Ireland. Oyeleke’s experiences at UIndy culminated in prestigious internships with Uber and Salesforce. In a competitive interview process, his UIndy experiences stood out. From tackling real-world challenges through DesignSpine to working with the UIndy Center for Collaborative Innovation, he already has the skills the tech industry is looking for. “In my first interview with Uber, the two things that stood out to the hiring committee were my DesignSpine experience—because there are a lot of similarities between being a product manager
“In the future, my goal is to be deeply involved in Nigeria’s growth. And to help create the processes and products that can make life easier for the thousands, and eventually millions, of people I grew up with.”
—Jesutofunmi Oyeleke ’26 (Computer Science)
in tech and working on a DesignSpine team—and my time with the Center for Collaborative Innovation, which is an incubator for startups.” His experience at Uber catapulted him to a coveted opportunity with Google, where he will spend his summer as part of its Associate Product Manager program. He’s confident that each step in his journey brings him closer to his dream of serving his community in Nigeria. “In the future, my goal is to be deeply involved in Nigeria’s growth,” Oyeleke said. “And to help create the processes and products that can make life easier for the thousands, and eventually millions, of people I grew up with.”
At UIndy, first-year students have access to programs which are designed to help them navigate the transition to college, ensuring they find both support and community along the way. That’s how he met Cesone Clemmings-Snowden—a UIndy alumna, staff member, and fellow international student— who quickly became another mentor. Clemmings-Snowden encouraged him to get involved with the Forensic Speech and Debate Team. Oyeleke saw the team as an opportunity to sharpen his communication skills and adapt to the nuances of American English. He quickly found unwavering support and a new
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MAGAZINE // SPRING 2025
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