Engaged Scholar of the Year – Temitope Olomola (Profile)
by Jason Joseph

Temitope Olomola, one of the members of Chemsoc and 3rd year BSC Honours student in the Chemistry department, studying Synthetic Organic Chemistry , was awarded the Rhodes University Community Engagement award for being the ENGAGED SCHOLAR OF THE YEAR (Student Volunteer of the Year).
Olomola has been actively involved in the Khaya Maths and Science club, as well as A Polutants Tale, and has “run around and help(ed and organised) the Saturday mornings” for the Khanya Maths and Science Club lessons, started by the Chemistry department (Chemsoc) as part of their service learning which forms part of their community engagement.

“It feels exciting, but of course you don’t really (expect anything when you) do this kind of thing” Olomola says. Olomola says for him it’s that “you don’t really know the impact you have on them... but it is really gratifying especially when you see them excelling.

One of Olomola’s most fulfilling moments of his community engagement, though, is actually “helping the teachers develop learning programs ... it is a particularly useful thing when you have to explain to someone, who in turn has the magnitude of people they will teach too, who can teach and re-teach.”

Being involved with this process, “its like, more or less, you are able to get involved with something that has a multiplying effect in a way” Olomola says, “you are involved in a process with a far-reaching impact, that you might not be able to measure now, but years down the line.” Olomola does feel the pressure of being involved with the kids, but it is so rewarding because “when you see them smile when you meet up with them outside, you generally get that sense that they look up at you,” Olomola says. He also says that it puts you in a place where you “consider whatever you do, and handle situations with a sense of composure.”

Olomola says that through community engagement he has really come out of his shell, “gotten involved with the environment ... (especially) appreciating other people and their cultures”. But to get involved, Olomola says “you have to commit yourself... you should want to do something that is of value.”

Olomola also adds that “good community engagement is two ways; you have to be given something and you have to give something”. Sometimes that something is knowing you helped someone improve their marks and now they succeed in getting into Rhodes (which is what happened to one of the kids that Olomola worked with in the past three years). “You feel a part of society and the community,” Olomola says, “you NEED to give back,” is how he feels personally. At the end of the day “you have a personal sense of fulfilment: you actually get out of the labs and you meet people and impact on their lives,” says Olomola, “and that made the experience worth it.”