Alumni Spotlight

PhD Candidate
DWC Class of 2013

Shuaib Balogun

Concord College
BS Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst
MS Materials Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
PhD Material Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

During his time at DWC, Shuaib was a member of the Robotics Club, Gavel Club and was the goalkeeper for the school’s Football Team. He also acted in school plays such as Macbeth, The Rocky Horror Show and The Gods Are Not To Blame. He went on to become the school’s Dining Prefect and the Captain of Purple House. He also completed the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award program. Shuaib was part of a selection of students who took their Mathematics IGCSEs in Year 10, as opposed to Year 11, and he still achieved an A* in the subject.

After DWC, he attended Concord College where he was a member of the Football Team. He only completed one year of school there but gained his A-Levels in Mathematics, Physics AS and Chemistry AS. Despite completing the course in half the usual allocated time, he passed Mathematics with a 93% average. He went on to take the SATs and began attending University of Massachusetts Amherst to study Chemical Engineering.

During his university career, Shuaib was a Residential Assistant, a tutor, a Teaching Assistant on the Chemical Engineering Course, a researcher in the Jentoft Lab and a member of the African Student Association. He was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers for whom he was selected as one of the scholars in both 2015 and 2016. In his second year at UMass, he was admitted into the Honours College and received a scholarship from the American Chemical Society. He also interned at 3M which was ranked 103rd on the Fortune 500 as of 2020. Shuaib graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. He was also awarded the 21st Century Award, which is only given to ten graduating students each year.

After completing his first degree, Shuaib gained admission into Georgia Institute of Technology, popularly known as Georgia Tech, for a PhD program with an integrated Master’s degree. However, Shuaib deferred his offer and returned to Nigeria for his NYSC, during which he was the Vice President of his Charity Group at the Ikeja II local government. During his year in Lagos, he worked as the Sales & Faculty Manager at Rite Foods Company and as a private tutor. He also volunteered a mentor to students at King’s College. In addition to all of this, he took the time to learn to code which resulted in him creating a game called ‘Danfo’ that he launched on the App Store.

Shuaib is currently in his second year at Georgia Tech pursuing his Master’s degree in Materials Engineering and a PhD in Material Science and Engineering, specialising in advanced polymer hybrid materials. He has been awarded the GEM fellowship as well as the GAAN fellowship. Since his time there, he has also interned at Applied Materials and Corning Incorporated, another two Fortune 500 companies. In 2021, he was awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The program supports outstanding graduates in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Many of the fellows of this program have gone on to have highly successful careers such as Google founder Sergey Brin, former US Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu and numerous Nobel Prize winners.

Lawyer
DWC Class of 2014

Dabi Olu-Odugbemi

Sevenoaks School
LLB Law, University of Cambridge
MSc Business & Management, The University of Law

Dabi Olu-Odugbemi was one of the top graduates of her set at DWC achieving 10 A*s. During her time at DWC, she was a prefect and head of the school’s Gospel Choir. She also represented the school on multiple sports teams and won gold medals in Debate and Tennis. Dabi excelled in many subjects during her time at DWC and won awards  in History, English Literature, French, Economics, Physical Education, Mathematics and Further Mathematics. As a result, she was selected for the Gifted & Talented Program which resulted in an all-expenses-paid trip to Ghana focused on cultivating her skills in Mathematics and the Sciences. She also completed the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award program.

After DWC, Dabi attended Sevenoaks School in the UK. In her two years there, she was awarded a Boarding House Tie for her contributions to pastoral life and the Best Student in Mandarin (ab initio) prize twice. Dabi continued to be an active student outside academia. She acted in the school’s production of Hecuba and was a member of the Tennis Team, Debate Team, and Law Society. She was also the Vice President of the Amnesty International Society and helped to organise the society’s first fashion show which featured clothes by designers from Africa and the Middle East. They were able to raise £2500 for humanitarian funds. Dabi completed the International Baccalaureate program with an impressive 43 points and an offer to study Law at the University of Cambridge.

In her first year at Cambridge, she was the Freshers’ Representative for the African  Caribbean Society for Fitzwilliam College and later became the Treasurer of the society. She was also the secretary of the Gospel Choir and a member of the college’s Tennis Team. In 2017, she was selected to participate in the Oxbridge Summer Camps Abroad program to teach English in Hong Kong for six weeks and in her final year, she was a member of the committee for the Fitzwilliam Winter Ball where she managed the food budget for over 1500 guests.

Over her university career, she interned at Goldman Sachs, Clifford Chance and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She received the 1912 Scholarship, the Johnson-Jary Award and was featured as one of the 100 Future Leaders, an annual publication of the UK’s most outstanding African and Caribbean students. In 2019, she graduated with a First Class degree in Law and job offers from all the Magic Circle firms she interned at.

During her LPC year at The University of Law, she won third place in The Times Law Awards for her essay, Taming the Social Media Giants: How far should the state go in regulating online content? and was selected as a runner-up for the Slaughter and May Africa Essay Prize. At the end of the year, she graduated with both a distinction in her law school program and a distinction in her Master’s Degree in Business & Management.

In the summer of 2020, she and fellow lawyer Michelle Wong published The Law Student’s Guide, a free book which aims to guide young law students and trainees. The book has roughly 2000 downloads and is currently being considered as an addition to the official curriculum of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) London. As of today, Dabi is a Finance Trainee Solicitor in her second seat at the prestigious Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

Investment Banker
DWC Class of 2014

Tobi Akinrimade

During his time at DWC, Tobi was a member of the Football Team and Volleyball Team, whilst also playing tennis recreationally. He also represented his school house in athletic events such as the 400-metre race and relay race. He also helped organise his house’s March-past. Tobi was the school’s first Environmental Prefect and during his tenure, he organised events like Hand-Wash Day and generally helped shape the student body’s perspective on significant societal and environmental issues. He participated in the school’s charity events such as trips to the Zion Primary School in Asu Village. He also completed the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award program. In his leisure time, he wrote and recorded a song and performed it at school events to the joy of the student body who quickly became fans of the song. By the time he graduated from DWC, Tobi was voted Best Personality.

After DWC, Tobi attended the reputable Wellington College where he completed his International Baccalaureate. There, he continued his participation in sports and was a member of the Football Team, Athletics Team and Squash Team. He also continued his charity efforts by volunteering at food banks and travelled to Nicaragua to build houses and schools for a community in Jinotega. He also participated in the Jimmy Hingham Run, a 5k-10k race for which the proceeds are used to support talented sportsmen and sportswomen. During his time at Wellington College, he also interned at Shell Nigeria and construction company, Mace. For his IB Extended Essay, he wrote on the impact of oil on local communities in Nigeria.

Tobi went on to study Economics at University of Exeter where he was a member of the Business & Finance Society and African Caribbean Society. He also dabbled in some DJing and interned at Goldman Sachs. Now, after graduating in 2019, he is an Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London working in the Fixed Income Asset Management department. As of 2020, the Goldman Sachs Group ranked 60th on the Fortune 500.

Technology Consultant
DWC Class of 2014

Mofopeoluwa Olarinmoye

Phillips Academy Andover
Princeton University 

 Mofopeoluwa began attending DWC in 2009. She was a very active member of the school in terms of both academics and extra-curricular activities. During her five years at DWC, she was a member of the Gavel Club, Math Olympiad, Soccer Academy, School Choir, and the School Band where she played the soprano saxophone. She was also a member of the cast for the school’s production of The Gods Are Not To Blame which was performed at the Muson Centre Lagos and in the UK. She continued to participate in school plays including What A Knight, Grease, Rocky Horror Show and Arabian Nights.

She also completed the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award program.

In addition to being a member of these clubs and teams, Mofopeoluwa was also the Deputy Head of the school’s Press Club, the Head of the Protocol team for the school’s Church, and later went on to become the school’s Deputy Head Girl. She received awards in multiple subjects including Biology, Chemistry and Geography and was awarded the school’s prestigious Tayo Aderinokun Leadership Award. She was also selected for the Gifted & Talented Program which resulted in an all-expenses-paid trip to Ghana focused on cultivating her skills in Mathematics and the Sciences. Mofopeoluwa completed her IGCSEs with a record-breaking 11 A*s.

After DWC, Mofopeoluwa attended Phillips Academy Andover, a US-based preparatory school that boasts an impressive alumni including Hafsat Abiola, Bill Belichick and George H. W. Bush. There, she continued to participate in theatre and dance. She was also a member of the school’s Junior Varsity soccer team, the President of the African Student’s Union, the President of the philanthropic Non Sibi society, the founder of the Book Club, a Senior Board Member of the International Club and Editor of a feminist literary magazine called BOSS. She also mentored new students and was an admissions tour guide for the school. She graduated cum laude from Phillips Academy and was a member of the Cum Laude society.

Mofopeoluwa went on to attend the esteemed Ivy League college Princeton University where she was a writer for The Daily Princetonian and a residential college advisor. She also continued to participate in theatre and was a member and the Treasurer of the Dorobucci dance group. At Princeton, she also planned and coordinated fashion and talent shows. She was the Programming Coordinator of National Society of Black Engineers (Princeton Chapter) and President of the African Student’s Union. As President, she co-directed the university’s Inaugural Africa Summit. During her university career, she interned in the Operation Risks department at Goldman Sachs and was a research assistant at the chemical firm AkzoNobel. She was also a founding member of HomeWorks Trenton, an education start-up for which she was also the Marketing & Recruitment Director and a volunteer tutor.

Mofopeoluwa graduated cum laude with a BSe. in Chemical & Biological Engineering and a Minor in Bio Engineering. She was also inducted into the Sigma Xi Society, an honours society for scientists and engineers. She now works as a Technology Consultant at Mastercard’s Washington DC office where she conducts data analysis and strategic advisory for clients. As of 2020, Mastercard ranked 191st in the Fortune 500.

Fashion Designer
DWC Class of 2015

Destiny Nwadire

The Royal High School of Bath
BA Digital Marketing, University of Portsmouth 

 During her time at DWC, Destiny looked forward to events like Ankara Day and Independence Day knowing that on these occasions, she will be allowed to express her style outside of the school uniform. She designed her own outfits as well as a collection shown at the school’s Independence Day fashion show. She also participated in athletics and was a member of the Praise Team in the School Church. Although, she only spent two years at DWC, Destiny cites her attendance as one of the pivotal moments in her life where she made lifelong friends who she would go on to collaborate with and be supported by when she launched her own fashion line later on.

After DWC, Destiny attended The Royal High School of Bath where she completed her A-Levels and was the Head of Boarding. Destiny is currently in her final year at University of Portsmouth getting her Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing. She was a member of the Cheerleading and Salsa societies and went on to become the Social Secretary for the African Caribbean Society.

During the summers, Destiny would work at her mother’s fashion label Iconic Invanity and later launched her own diffusion line, DNA by Iconic Invanity, in 2015 at age sixteen. She showcased her first collection at Lagos Fashion & Design Week (LFDW) that same year, which was inspired by the greenery of the Lagosian landscape and her memories of her time at DWC. Since then, she has gone on to show multiple collections at LFDW, Arise Fashion Week and GTB Fashion Weekend. In 2019, Destiny was invited to an exclusive event for Nigerian creative trailblazers hosted by celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to receive Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Christian Dior, in Lagos. The evening featured a masterclass, exhibition and Q&A session with Adichie and Chiuri. Destiny’s designs have also been featured in a music video by 2Face Idibia and on the red carpet by Nigerian celebrities such as Mo Abudu, Beverly Naya and Dakore Akande.

When the pandemic began in 2020, DNA was significantly affected because the brand focuses on occasion wear and everyone was staying at home. In response to the decrease in demand, Destiny launched a line of safe yet stylish masks and dedicated herself to creating digital content daily. As a result of all her hard work, CNN Africa Avant Garde broadcasted a feature on Destiny, showcasing her as one of the continent’s bright upcoming designers. She was also featured on Black Parade Route, a directory of African-owned businesses curated by Zerina Akers and global superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. She was the youngest fashion designer featured.

Visual Artist
DWC Class of 2015

Bunmi Agusto

Sevenoaks School
BA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins

 During her time at DWC, Bunmi was Head Girl, a Student Mentor and captain of the Volleyball Team. She also was a member of the Basketball, Football and Dance teams. In her five years at the school, she won academic awards in Art & Design, Business Studies, Mathematics, ICT, Physical Education as well as the Tayo Aderinokun Leadership Award. In Year 10, she participated in the Microsoft Office Specialist Competition and came 1st nationwide in Microsoft Word 2007 and 3rd in Microsoft Powerpoint 2007. She went on to compete at the Microsoft Office Specialist Worldwide Championship in California and came 2nd in the Microsoft Word category against competitors aged up to 22. She subsequently become the first African to place in the top three in the competition’s fifteen-year history. As a result, she was selected to attend the Global Young Leaders’ Conference in 2015 which took place across Vienna, Prague and Berlin.

After DWC, she attended Sevenoaks School where she completed the International Baccalaureate. During her time there, she was a prefect and a member of the Art History Society, Photography Club, Basketball Team, Volleyball Team and Football Team. She was the President of the Amnesty International Society at the height of the Syrian migrant crisis and she spearheaded fundraising and petitioning of the local council to accommodate more refugees. She was also awarded Creative Colours and Boarding House Colours for her contribution to the school. She applied to universities in the UK and US to study Fine Art and was offered five scholarships from some of the world’s top art schools including the Presidential Scholarship from the Milwaukee Institute of Art, the Dean’s Scholarship from Parsons School of Design and a Merit Scholarship from the School of Art Institute of Chicago. However, she chose to study at the world-renowned Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

During her university career, Bunmi interned at TAFETA, a London-based gallery that specialises in modern and contemporary African Art and represents the works of celebrated Nigerian artists like Ben Enwonwu MBE, Yinka Shonibare CBE and Victor Ekpuk. In her second year, she was selected to spend six months studying abroad at the Royal Academy of Art The Hague in The Netherlands. When she returned to London, she took her first shot at curation in 2019 by partnering with students at the London School of Economics for an art exhibition in order to foster the relationship between the financial and creative sectors from an early stage. Within a year of the exhibition, several of the featured of artists went on to receive awards for their art including Bunmi. In 2019, she was selected to be part of Xhibit, an exhibition featuring 27 artists from across all of UAL’s six world-leading colleges, where she was awarded the Cass Art Prize for innovative use of material. She was later longlisted as one of the Top Black Students in the UK by Rare Rising Stars. Bunmi has now graduated from Central Saint Martins with First Class Honours and was awarded the Cass Art Prize again for her work in the college’s Degree Show. Today, she has participated in over twenty exhibitions internationally including shows at the Saatchi Gallery, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Christie’s Education and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Paris.