Daniel Olusegun Omole
Rolling with the punches
By Jude Al Gergawi
As a first year student at NYUAD, Daniel Olusegun Omole set a goal for himself to get into law school in the United States. As a senior, he was accepted at Harvard Law School. However, he was also awarded the prestigious Schwarzman scholarship to study Global Affairs in Tsinghua University in Beijing. After intensive thinking and discussing with mentors, Omole decided that “the Schwarzman opportunity was too good to pass.” He deferred his law studies at Harvard, to study in Beijing for a year.
Omole started working on his law school applications after a study away semester in London that validated his interest in the field. However, a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic halted all of his applications and standardized tests. Despite this new obstacle, he learned to roll with the punches and take each day as it came.
I am so eager to be going somewhere and getting to know the space, the area, and the people…I’m just going to dive head-first when I get there and stay in the deep end.
Knowing that the world is full of uncertainties, he kept an open mind and applied to various opportunities including global awards, and full-time jobs. He credits the Graduate School advisors at the Career Development Center as a key factor that supported his application process. “Their guidance in interview questions and test preparation helped me refine my skills to excel in my applications.”
Omole’s hard work paid off and he received offers from Harvard Law School, the Schwarzman Scholarship, and two full-time jobs. It was time to make a difficult decision to choose one opportunity amongst several great opportunities. “I had a little voice in my head questioning whether I could land opportunities like those again, but it was just self-doubt. I quickly moved on from it after accepting the Schwarzman offer and reminding myself that I was on the right track and committed to the things I was most passionate about whilst on the journey.”
While he is in Beijing for the program, Omole is excited to immerse himself in the community and learn more about Chinese culture. “I am so eager to be going somewhere and getting to know the space, the area and the people…I’m just going to dive head-first when I get there and stay in the deep-end.”