Meet Mimi, a passionate 23-year-old student at DePauw University from Lagos, Nigeria. Mimi is interested in all things finance, particularly the mathematics and statistics side. Mimi’s freshman year at DePauw was disrupted in the peak of the pandemic, so she was left with no option but to enroll remotely from her home country in an entirely different continent. From more than 6,600 miles away from school, she took the challenge in stride and successfully completed her freshman year completely online. She recalls enjoying the experience of attending school whilst still being near her family.
Mimi reflects on her sophomore year and mentions a few challenges she faced upon arriving on campus. “Coming to a completely different country and being far away from home for the first time took a little bit of getting used to,” she said. With her perseverance, Mimi steadily made her way through and is currently in the final year of her degree as a senior.
Her interest in mathematics and finance led to her decision to major in actuarial science, as she became the only African and Black female student in the Actuarial Sciences department at DePauw University. So far Mimi has had internships at world renowned financial institutions such as EY and Deloitte. Her main interests within the profession of actuarial sciences are property and casualty insurance.
Moreover, Mimi is the secretary of the DePauw Actuarial Student Organisation. She also participates in other organizations on campus including MSA (Muslim Students Association). When asked to share any advice she had for other students, she said, “take things easy, take a minute and be grateful for where you are, the people around and the gorgeous campus you are on. No situation is the end of the world, remain optimistic and grateful.”