Nigeria's Roseline Adewuyi named top 50 global student

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Nigerian Roseline Adewuyi has emerged as one of the top 50 Global Student Prize finalists for her stellar academic performance, humanitarian endeavours, social activism, and youth advocacy.

The 50 finalists of the 2014 Global Student Prize were announced from over 11,000 applications and nominations from 176 countries.

The US$100,000 Global Student Prize, now in its fourth year and organised by the Varkey Foundation and Chegg Inc., seeks to highlight the efforts of extraordinary students worldwide who are making a real impact on learning, the lives of their peers, and society.

The organisers said the top 10 finalists and winner of the prize will be announced later in the year. They added that they will select the winner through a secure online voting system, subject to additional screening.

As an equality and justice changemaker, Adewuyi leverages blogging; social media; and her organisation, the Roseline Initiative, for her social interventions and advocacies.

As a young student, Adewuyi encountered and challenged discrimination and gender stereotypes.

However, despite these stereotypes, she graduated with a first-class degree in French from Obafemi Awolowo University as the best student in her department and the best female graduating student in her faculty. She also achieved a distinction in her master’s degree from the University of Ibadan.

She is currently doing a PhD in French Literature at Purdue University with a speciality in women, gender, and sexuality studies. At Purdue, she received awards, including Student of the Year and the Boilermaker Change Award.

In 2022, she became the first female president of the Nigerian Students Association at Purdue and currently serves as a senator for the Purdue Graduate Student Government.

In April 2024, for her work in gender and social advocacy, she was featured in a United Nations publication, ‘Breaking Gender Barriers through Education’.

Reacting to the shortlist, Adewuyi said she is appreciative of the chance to be among the finalists who are changing the world in unique ways.

“We are moving closer to a just and equitable society,” she added.

Adewuyi said the honour serves as a reminder of her commitment to positive change as she carries out her advocacy for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

“From the amazing peers and mentors I have had the privilege of working with and the communities I have been able to impact, we all deserve this honour. I believe that others, particularly young girls and women, will be inspired by my academic journey,” she said.

Other Nigerians who made the top 50 Global Student Prize finalist list are Clinton Okechukwu (environmental changemaker), Jennifer Obiorah (environmental changemaker), Joel Mordi (equality and justice changemaker), Karimot Odebode (education changemaker), and Peace Bello (health and wellbeing changemaker).

Previous winners of the Global Student Prize are Nhial Deng (2023, South Sudanese), Igor Klymenko (2022, Ukraine), and Jeremiah Thoronka (2021, Sierra Leone).

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