Names have power. In the email from my editor, the name Oluwaseye Odanye was laid in black, and the sentence next to his name read: “He goes by ‘Paul.’”
My heart sank. To be far away from home and not hear your name, let alone hear it mispronounced or people not willing to try, is a modicum of loneliness that Oluwaseye—pronounced “Hol-Lu-Wa-Shea-Yay”— is helping his peers manage and navigate as a Global Maverick Ambassador.
His wide, complex smile and sing-songy Nigerian accent lulled me, and I imagined this is how he makes international transplants to Omaha feel.
Oluwaseye, 33, has a background in physical therapy and came to the University of Omaha to gain his masters, which he achieved in 2022. His passion to help people by creating practical interventions led him to shift his studies to biomechanics; he’s currently a second-year doctoral student. He studies a myriad of forces and how they impact humans and animals with the hopes of converting that data into creating advanced prosthetics and technologies for the people back home in Nigeria. The connection between Oluwaseye’s biomechanical studies and his volunteer position as an ambassador isn’t lost on him. He seeks to make humans function better socially and physically.
“Experiences can make you empathic, or they will make you build walls,” he said. “The most important thing is to be open-minded. The Unibuddy [student engagement] platform exposes you to different people. You can’t approach each person with the same mindset. You must let people be themselves and accept them for who they are, even if you don’t understand their experiences. They need to know that you are here to give them a helping hand. Not just from me, but UNO’s resources as well.”
Louisa Ehrlich, the Assistant Director of Global Partnerships in the International Recruitment Department at the University of Nebraska Omaha, has a passion for diversity that is similar to Oluwaseye’s own for supporting and connecting people. “I make sure that they are confident, creative, and safe in what they are doing,” she said. “We focus on growing our international population of degree-seeking students and families from all over the world. Our work isn’t just for UNO but for Omaha. This helps enrich our community and allows us to share what we all find great about Omaha.”
Global Partnerships started in August last year, and ambassadors, who are volunteers, attempt to share the experiences of all the people who work and volunteer within it. Ehrlich’s vigilance reminds them that their time is valuable and helps to create the community they wish they had when they arrived. “We want to have a platform to show our potential international students that they would have a community even before they get here, and Paul shows that. I hope that he will stay on as an alumni ambassador,” Ehrlich said. “He’s present in the physical meetings, attentive in Unibuddy—he’s consistent.”
Ehrlich paused and then joked, “I need to figure out when he’s graduating. I hope it’s not soon!”
Oluwaseye is keenly aware of his role as a Maverick Ambassador. “Being alone is a physical thing. The person is segregated, and loneliness is a mindset,” he reflected. “You can feel alone but not feel lonely if you are comfortable with your own company. In Ibadan, Oyo State, where I come from, it’s easy to go over to a friend’s home unannounced. It’s a different world here, most people are by themselves.”
Global Maverick Ambassadorships aren’t as simple as placing similar nationalities together; they have to be like-minded. Our ignorance of Oluwaseye’s home of Ibadan is similar to his ignorance of our home of Omaha. We didn’t know of it before we read this story, and he didn’t know of Omaha until he sought more information about it. We must be open to our neighbors, not just locally but as cosmopolitans. Home is a place where people ask, “Where are you?” when you’re not there.
Oluwaseye, Ehrlich, and the 13 other ambassadors do their best to make faculty, students, and business owners ask that question. The coffee kicked in, and Oluwaseye’s smile grew wider. We talked about his want of a Nigerian restaurant in the city, and he’s excited about his future.
“Happiness is circumstances, and it’s not easy. As a Christian, I look to joy, because it’s not based on your circumstances,” Oluwaseye said. “This allows me to embrace everybody. We have different backgrounds and experiences, but we all have blood flowing through our veins, so help those you can and make people feel at home.”
For more information about UNO’s Global Maverick Partnership program, visit unomaha.edu/international-studies-and-programs/admissions/connect-with-current-students.php.
This article originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
