John Omokayode, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has journeyed from Osogbo, Nigeria, a midsize city of about 500,000 people in Osun State to Marquette University. This year, as Marquette celebrates International Education Week (IEW) from November 17–21, 2025, the Graduate School is featuring stories of students like Omokayode, whose experiences and perspectives enrich campus life and reflect the interconnected world of higher education.
Omokayode describes Osogbo as “a calm city,” a place where urban life blends seamlessly with the countryside. “Everywhere you need to go is usually less than five miles away,” he says. “It’s very connected.” His childhood home sat just a mile from the Osun River and three miles from the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its dense primary forest and deep spiritual significance. The grove is the heart of the annual Osun Osogbo Festival, which draws visitors from around the world to celebrate Yoruba culture, art, and tradition.
Image of Olaiya flyover, a popular roadway in Osogbo, displays vibrant works of cultural art.
Growing up with his parents and three siblings, John filled his days with soccer and table tennis, joined by a community he describes as both close-knit and disciplined. “Everyone knew everyone,” he recalls. “There was always a sense of togetherness.” He attended a Catholic high school where morning assemblies brought the entire student body together, and during Lent the school paused at noon to observe the Angelus. “Teachers really believed in the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” he says.
After high school, Omokayode studied mechanical engineering at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s oldest degree-awarding institution. When he decided to pursue graduate study abroad, he discovered Marquette through an online forum. The university’s mission stood out immediately. “The ‘Be the Difference’ slogan stuck out to me,” he says.
Now in Marquette’s mechanical engineering doctoral program, Omokayode researches urban thermal and wind environment, a field with implications for city planning, energy and water use, and environmental sustainability. But beyond academics, his Marquette experience has been shaped by community. Programs like ITAP (International Teaching Assistant Program) and ISPS (International Students Peer Support) were his first introductions to campus life. Events hosted by the Office of International Education, along with involvement in InterVarsity, helped him build friendships and feel at home.
He has explored new foods in the U.S.—a pulled pork BBQ sandwich is a recent favorite—though he admits nothing quite compares to the Jollof rice or the pounded yam and egusi soup he grew up eating.
As Marquette celebrates International Education Week, John Omokayode’s story stands as a reminder of the perspectives, histories, and experiences international students bring to campus. From the sacred groves of Osogbo to the laboratories of Engineering Hall, his path reflects the global connections at the heart of IEW, and the importance of welcoming communities that help students thrive far from home.
