not to drop any water. Part of it was an upstairs run. This activity was to give people a better understanding of how people in Mexico have to get their water. Tunji participated and then told us how this was also done in Nigeria with a towel on the head and was used to practice balance.
When Tunji gets involved, it is not just on a managerial level. He is willing to do the heavy lifting and to get personally involved.
Tunji has been a part of starting many student organizations; he was involved in the development of the African Descendant Organization, the Latino Club, and the International Student Organization. The African Descendant Organization started with 3 members and, in 3 short years, it has grown by many members who have gathered nearly 6,000 books to donate to three schools in Africa. Tunji is happy to see people embracing their cultures and being proud of them.
“You have to know where you are and where you come from,” Tunji told me.
There are 30 cultures officially represented at Reinhardt, with 17 different countries represented through international students. Tunji believes awareness is important to understand cultural diversity.
The international coffee hour is one such program Tunji has initiated for attaining cultural awareness. On one occasion, I saw him at the international coffee hour with a representative giving a cultural lesson on China. It was a great experience, and Tunji was paying attention with the utmost curiosity.
As people entered, Tunji kindly said, “Hello, would you like some of the food? I hope you enjoy the presentation.”
Since he knew I had studied Chinese and have a vast appreciation for the culture, Tunji went out of his way to introduce me to the speaker at the end. I spoke to the lady in Chinese, and she stated she was impressed with how good my Mandarin is. Her parents stood by her side.
Tunji believes his job is far from accom-plished. Involved in a lot of projects, Tunji
says he doesn’t know where he gets the energy to do all of it.
In his role as Director of the Academic Support Office (ASO), one of the biggest challenges for Tunji is getting people with disabilities to understand that they have responsibilities despite their disabilities. He runs the center for students where he provides programs as well as forms of individual assistance students might need to help them cope with their disabilities.
Many students have been able to successfully graduate due to the aid provided by Tunji. He believes you have to gain balance with your disability and find a way to cope. One of his goals here at Reinhardt is to increase the quality of life for students. He believes disabilities are a form of diversity.
He believes
disabilities
are a form
of diversity.
Tunji and his wife
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