Nigeria’s Dr. Oyindamola Adeniyi inspires graduating class of 2024 at The University of York

The atmosphere was filled with pride and anticipation as twenty-three-year-old Dr. Oyindamola Adeniyi addressed the graduating class of 2024 at the University of York. As a distinguished alumna of Hull York Medical School, Dr. Adeniyi’s speech was a powerful testament to resilience, intentionality, and the importance of education.

“Over the past five years at Hull York Medical School, we’ve been taught that intentionality and resilience are essential to becoming good doctors,” Dr. Adeniyi began, having been selected as the year Student Orator, in a competitive process. She emphasised the significance of these qualities not only in the medical field but in life as a whole.

She shared her journey, recounting how her family moved to the UK two decades ago. Her parents’ unwavering belief in the power of education shaped her path, with her family motto echoing in her speech: “Focus on your education and forge your path—that is yours to keep.”

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Reflecting on her time at university, Dr. Adeniyi highlighted the importance of making intentional decisions despite the predictability of life’s path. “Today, I urge us to respect this map but avoid slipping into the routine,” she advised her fellow graduates. She acknowledged the challenges faced over the past five years, including political uncertainty and a global pandemic, and urged her peers to steer their lives with purpose and resilience.

“As we embark on our respective careers, making conscious decisions to live selflessly and intentionally, we ensure that we make a meaningful impact on the world around us,” she said, urging graduates to use their voices to make a difference. Dr. Adeniyi encouraged the class of 2024 to choose a cause, serve with passion, and commit to excellence in whatever field they pursue.

Drawing inspiration from a Nigerian Igbo adage, “When a child washes their hands, they dine with elders,” she emphasized the power of preparation and intention in achieving great things. She encouraged graduates to view life as a series of opportunities to live fully and make mundane moments matter.

Reflecting on personal challenges, including grief, loss, and mental health struggles, Dr. Adeniyi acknowledged the resilience her peers have shown throughout their university journey. “While you can’t control these seasons, you can choose resilience and intentionality when navigating the in-between,” she stated.

In her closing remarks, Dr. Adeniyi quoted Matthew 6:34, reminding graduates not to be anxious about the future but to live with good character, intentionality, and resilience. She expressed gratitude to the Lord, her family, friends, and faculty members for their support, leaving the class of 2024 with a message of hope and encouragement.

“Class of 2024, I believe that every single one of you is going to go out there and do great things. I wish you all the best of luck,” Dr. Adeniyi concluded, leaving the audience inspired, in what was followed by thunderous applause.

At the ceremony were over a thousand guests and graduands, including her parents, Baze University’s Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, Mum, Cleopatra Adeniyi and her siblings, Doyinsola and Oyinkansola.