Spring Break
Nigerian Student Association helps promote cultural awareness
Tara Duffy
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Student Culture
Nwaigwe spoke about what being a part of the association means to him.
"It means opportunities," he said. "I think it's important that a strong network correlation is being promoted."
Ekwejunor-Etchie knows about the culture firsthand. He is from Lagos, one of the biggest cities in Nigeria, and moved to the U.S. when he was 9.
"A lot of people have misconceptions about Nigeria and the poverty there and that's true - it's a developing country - but not all of Nigeria is poverty stricken," he said.
"When I lived in Nigeria, I lived in a house, not a village or a hut. I lived a basic, normal life like I do here. There are nice parts of Nigeria."
Born in the the U.S., Nwaigwe said he has learned a lot about his Nigerian culture through the association's gatherings, and that the club has made him able to promote cultural awareness.
"It's a place where you not only can be yourself, but take your own cultural experiences and share with others. You can be yourself and be accepted," he said.
Osuka said he hopes that the association will be able to include other cultures as well in the future.
"We don't want to have the message that we are only about Nigerians and other African-Americans," Osuka said. "I would like to invite more cultures to our club to make our organization that much better, to have them come be a part of our club."
The Nigerian Student Association meets every other Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Student Union's Ohlone Room.
"It means opportunities," he said. "I think it's important that a strong network correlation is being promoted."
Ekwejunor-Etchie knows about the culture firsthand. He is from Lagos, one of the biggest cities in Nigeria, and moved to the U.S. when he was 9.
"A lot of people have misconceptions about Nigeria and the poverty there and that's true - it's a developing country - but not all of Nigeria is poverty stricken," he said.
"When I lived in Nigeria, I lived in a house, not a village or a hut. I lived a basic, normal life like I do here. There are nice parts of Nigeria."
Born in the the U.S., Nwaigwe said he has learned a lot about his Nigerian culture through the association's gatherings, and that the club has made him able to promote cultural awareness.
"It's a place where you not only can be yourself, but take your own cultural experiences and share with others. You can be yourself and be accepted," he said.
Osuka said he hopes that the association will be able to include other cultures as well in the future.
"We don't want to have the message that we are only about Nigerians and other African-Americans," Osuka said. "I would like to invite more cultures to our club to make our organization that much better, to have them come be a part of our club."
The Nigerian Student Association meets every other Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Student Union's Ohlone Room.
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