Occupation: Student

Country of Birth: Tanzania

Current: Chicago, IL

“I learned that I am not just Nigerian. I am also Black.”

Fay was born in Nigeria, in a very close-knit home. Everybody lived close to each other, and she lived in the house her dad built. She remembers taking road trips back to her home state with her family, as well as her father’s Christmas parties to celebrate the end of the year.

In 2017, Fay landed in the United States. She had to take a bus to Oklahoma, where she stayed before coming to Chicago. One of the biggest obstacles throughout her journey to America was people thinking she did not understand English. She learned English at the same time she learned Yoruba, hand in hand, because she only spoke English in school. 

She did not have the same experiences as other students because she had to give up family in a way. Her whole life was back home, and she had to learn to build new relationships. After she moved to Chicago, her mom came with her siblings; her dad is in the UK, and two of her siblings are still in Nigeria. 

When she got to high school, she joined many clubs and got to understand how different she is from other people. A challenge for her when she first came to the United States was understanding the difference between African American and African; she has grown to appreciate her rich heritage as a Black person. She wants to build communities everywhere she goes and hopes she has left a mark. Eventually, she wants to go into tax law and become a lawyer.