A 31-year-old Nigerian, Dr Tomide Oloruntobi was among the 63 doctoral students who graduated on Friday, May 10, 2024, from the University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque, United States of America (USA).
Oloruntobi who hails from Ode Irele, Ondo State, had a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan, Oyo State, and another Master’s Degree in Communication from UNM, where he has now bagged a PhD in Communication with a specialisation in Intercultural Communication.
Earlier, Tomide bagged his First Degree from Adekunle Ajasin University, (AAU), Akungba, Ondo State.
His PhD dissertation, titled “Transnational(ising) African Communication: A Post-/Decolonial Intersectional Approach to Globalisation and Nollywood,” critically examined the dimensions of transnational/global communication within Nollywood. In the study, Oloruntobi delved into identity, cultural politics of taste, platformisation, and political economy. He centred postcoloniality as an enduring identity issue; fostering attitudinal shifts, epistemic delinking, and disrupting regimes of epistemicide within the context of decoloniality.
Oloruntobi’s scholarly commitment extends to promoting a non-essentialist understanding of identity, deconstructing simplistic categorisations, and critically examining the politics of difference and power dynamics. With a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, he combines interdisciplinary expertise, innovative teaching approaches, and a passion for critical knowledge-building to contribute to academic communities, inspire students, and enhance communication for social change.
Delivering the graduation speech for the graduating class of 2024, Oloruntobi referred to his humble background.
He said, “We all have different stories to tell about how we got here. For some, it’s natural that you must go to college since everyone in the family must go. For some, it’s the opposite, you go because the onus rests on you to make the first college graduate. For some, they came to college by accident and never left. I fall within the second category. I am the son of a mother who dropped out for her brothers to go to school and a father, the only surviving son of his mother, who could barely finish high school.
“I am a product of many memorable messages. As you may know, these messages can keep us going in dark times. Messages that provide that burning energy for us to face our adversities and give our best to conquer them. They are messages that ignite our turning point moments. My messages sounded like the voice of my dad. He’d say: Our grandma loved school so much she’d sell anything to make him stay in school. I couldn’t finish school, but I’m sure you can. I’ll give it all it takes.”
“We owed it to grandma, a legacy of successful schooling, shared through generations, and living true to you all today. This is me, I am the product of these stories, and more. Today, these messages ring clear in my head: “We’re proud of you, Tomide.” “You did it.” Yours, of course, may be different. But, please, if you lose it all, colleagues, and fellow graduates, don’t lose those messages. They make the difference. Sure, they are stale, make new ones with the people you care about. Memorable messages are light in the dark, as I noted. They come when you least expect and can be all you need to be the difference. Memorable messages inspire. They ignite a fire, the zeal to keep pressing on, sometimes when it doesn’t make sense. Hold on to yours. And let them guide you to your dreams.
The new graduate, Oloruntobi has accepted an employment offer as an Assistant Professor of Intercultural Communication at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, Tempe
According to the information gathered from the school, 2,991 students received degrees from UNM’s Albuquerque and Extended University campuses, as follows: 1,920 bachelor’s degrees, 658 master’s degrees, 63 doctorates, 92 juris doctorates, 78 medical doctorates, 52 pharmacy doctorates, 110 graduate certificates and 18 education specialists.
Also, at UNM-Gallup, 131 associate degrees and 68 certificates were awarded; at Los Alamos, 28 associate degrees and 7 certificates; at Taos, 51 associate degrees and 72 certificates; and at Valencia, 40 associate degrees and 38 certificates. An official degree count is determined following commencement.
Congratulations
Wow.. Lovely.