Ajibola Olayinka is not a typical international student. Like many others, he arrived at South Plains College being unfamiliar with the landscape and the culture. His journey from his homeland to West Texas was just the beginning of a wonderful two-year experience in Levelland.
His journey began with an internet search to find a two-year institution that taught Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. The search was narrowed because Olayinka sought one particular class, Programmable Logic Controllers. The course was offered at South Plains College.
Olayinka, 43, had spent nearly 20 years working as an air conditioning technician in his homeland. He worked at the Nigerian Brewery for 11 years prior to working at the United States Embassy in Abuja. He stayed there for four years.
“I kept seeing the same issue with technology not being as good as it could be,” he said. “I decided to come back to school where I could learn how to address that issue.”
Coming from a land where electricity is unstable, Olayinka said that people of means were the only ones with the resources to have air conditioning. In his village, most residents cooled their homes with blocks of ice.
Olayinka was familiar with the procedures to attend college in another country. He had other friends from his village come to the United States and attend South Plains College. He applied for admission, and, upon gaining acceptance, Olayinka secured a student visa to attend SPC. In January 2013, he said goodbye to his wife, Deborah, and their three children, Elizabeth (13), Dorcas (10) and Mary (. He boarded a plane and headed to Texas.
“I missed my flight after landing in Houston,” he said. “The people there were so wonderful. I told them that I needed to get to Levelland. They asked me, ‘what is the nearest city that has an airport?’ I told them I didn’t know!
“They were able to get me a flight to Lubbock,” he said. “I took a cab ride to campus.”
Olayinka arrived in West Texas totally unaware of the weather conditions. He had not packed a heavy jacket. When he came to campus, one of the first people he met was John Baker, his new residence hall director. Baker took Olayinka to the local Wal Mart where Olayinka purchased a heavy jacket. He said there are no Wal Marts in his village.
“It was so cold here,” he said. “We do not have snow or ice like this at home!
“In Nigeria, we have two seasons,” he said. “The dry season is from late August to April. The rainy season starts in April and goes through July. It’s not like that here!”
Olayinka said his transition to life on campus was initially challenging. After his first visit to the cafeteria, he suffered from stomach ailments.
“We do not eat these foods at home,” he said.
Olayinka said he started choosing items that featured foods he had at home – such as rice and potatoes. Soon he was able to navigate the cuisine and he adapted to the selections during his time on campus.
In the classroom, Olayinka said he focused on his coursework and he didn’t make many friends. He spent most of his time alone or with his roommate.
“He would laugh at me because I would iron all of my clothes at one time,” Olayinka said. “Then he asked me why do I do it like that? I told him that at home, I would iron all my clothes at one time because we may not have electricity for two weeks at a time. He said I didn’t have to worry about that here – we always have electricity!”
After his first semester, Olayinka began talking to students in his classrooms and residence hall. He began making friends and, he said, it made everything he was doing even better. At SPC, Olayinka was named to the President’s List for fall 2013, spring 2014, fall 2014 and spring 2015. He received the Kenneth Neagale Memorial Scholarship Award in 2013, the SPC Founders’ Scholarship Award in 2013 and the Residence Hall Hardworking and Dedication Award 2013. He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, the Residence Hall Association and a participant in on-campus intramurals.
Olayinka said he encountered the problem of how to communicate with his wife back home. His cell phone would not work in the USA. After trying to purchase a new cell phone and plan from a local vendor, he contacted a friend from Nigeria who was living in Midland on Facebook. His friend helped Olayinka resolve the phone issue with Simply Mobile, and he was able to contact his wife.
“She is the reason that I have been successful here,” Olayinka said. “She encouraged me and told me to do well.”
Olayinka’s success at South Plains College recently earned him the President’s Student of the Year Award. The award represents the highest recognition a student can receive at SPC. It honors an outstanding student who has been successful academically and socially while making significant contributions to the campus environment.
“To stand there next to Dr. Sharp was truly wonderful and unexpected,” Olayinka said. “I am so honored that he would recognize me.” Olayinka was presented the President’s Award at the Student Awards Assembly held May 7.
Sharing in the celebration of Olayinka’s academic success will be his wife and youngest daughter who arrived in Levelland on Monday (May 11) to attend graduation. Olayinka plans to transfer to West Texas A&M University to continue his studies in Engineering Technology.

Ajibola Olayinka in Levelland , Texas May 14, 2015

Odeyele Ayodeji is presently a freelance writer sent this from Midland, Texas. United States of America

Good one. May God bless this man's endeavours!

clearly articulated.