FUTA Scholar Wins 2022 US Government Mandela Washington Fellowship

By Ayodele Oni

Dr. Oritoke Modupe Aluko of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Federal University of Technology Akure, (FUTA) has been selected for the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

A statement on Tuesday by FUTA spokesman, Adegbenro Adebanjo, explained that the fellowship is under the aegis United States Government.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the Flagship programme of the United States Government’s Young African Leaders initiative (YALI) created by former US President Barak Obama in 2010.

Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought nearly 5100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training.

The Fellows, between the age of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries.

Dr. Aluko submitted an application reflecting her love and passion for females-in-Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and with the overall aim of mentoring young females that are science-conscious and oriented with the capability of changing the world of STEM.

This, the statement added will thereby contribute to bridging the gap of gender imbalance in STEM careers.

She was selected out of 9000 applicants who completed the application, out of which only 56 of them made the final selection making it a less than one percent probability of being selected.

In a letter conveying her selection, Counsellor for Public Affairs, Adnan Siddiqi wrote “Congratulations! You have been selected to participate in the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship, the U.S Department of State’s flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative YALI.

“While in the U.S., this programme will help develop your leadership skills and enable you network with other fellows from Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States.

“Alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship gain access to on-going professional development, networking and collaboration opportunities with support from the U.S. Department of State and affiliated partners.”

The Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof Adenike Oladiji, while congratulating the winner, said she is proud that FUTA constantly sets the pace in academic and intellectual endeavors.

She admonished Aluko to be a good ambassador of the institution in America and subsequently become a leading light among women in Science and Technology.