SJD candidate Mariam Momodu (Olafuyi) (photo by Bisi Alawode Photography courtesy of Momodu)
University of Toronto Faculty of Law doctoral candidate (SJD) Mariam Momodu (Olafuyi) has received the Social Innovation Award from the British Council in Nigeria.
The Social Innovation Award “recognizes UK alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.” The project categories include, reducing inequality, poverty and hunger, education and upskilling, and peace and justice.
The British Council, “builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.”
Momodu, graduate of the University of Cambridge where she completed her Master of Law, was also one of four Nigerian UK alumni shortlisted for the international British Council Alumni Awards.
Momodu was recognized as the founder of GetIn Education (GetInEdu) Consulting, which she describes as “leveling the playing ground, irrespective of background and earnings,” for African students who pursue post-secondary education.
“It’s such a privilege to access education and to have it paid for – it would be almost impossible otherwise,” says Momodu, who is herself a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar at U of T.
GetInEdu provides access to free e-books, resources, mentorship and yearly application grants making it easier for African students to discover pathways to funding their higher education. Since inception, the social enterprise has reached over 20,000 students and helped Africans apply for scholarships and grants. To date, GetInEdu students have received over $2.5 million in scholarships.
“Education steers students away from negative pathways, helping them build the life they want. They often don’t have role models in their family. Imagine someone being the first in their family to attend post-secondary – and they get to go to U of T! That’s the kind of opportunity we hope to help Africans access."
For her doctoral studies, Momodu specializes in international trade law, law and development and law and globalization. In her doctoral thesis, she re-evaluates economic integration in Africa by exploring the concept of bottom-up economic integration – an analysis of the use of private regulation by non-state actors to facilitate trade within Africa.
As a social enterprise, GetInEdu operates on grants and organizes application bootcamps for a nominal fee. GetInEdu is currently registered in Nigeria and Canada. Momodu hopes to expand GetInEdu's resources to Black communities locally and further encourage Black students in their pursuit of academic excellence.
