PUBLISHED

Osasenaga 'Kelly' Aghayere: Giving Back Each Opportunity He Received

Part of the Senior Stories, Class of 2017 Series
Kelly Aghayere: Graduating from Duke is a blessing from God and a culmination of the hard work and sacrifice of my parents. I’m thankful for my parents and my family, and graduation is as much of their accomplishment as it is mine.
By Duke Today Staff

Osasenaga "Kelly" Aghayere

Hometown: Reston, Virginia and Benin City, Nigeria
Double Major: Public Policy, Spanish
Minor and any certificates: Economics
Clubs/Organizations: The 1G Network at Duke, DukeAFRICA, Every Nation Campus Ministry, Duke Chapel Scholars
Any other activities you participated in: 2017 DukeAFRICA Jabulani Cultural Showcase
What Duke has meant to you: Graduating from Duke is a blessing from God and a culmination of the hard work and sacrifice of my parents. I’m thankful for my parents and my family, and graduation is as much of their accomplishment as it is mine.

According to Justin Clapp, director of the Office of Access and Outreach at Duke and director of the 1G Network, Osasenaga "Kelly" Aghayere has been deeply involved in the Duke Community from the start, striving to make things better. “He is driven, brilliant, and inquisitive while remaining open and giving of himself. He has always been easy to work with and pushes those around him to be the best version of themselves possible,” Clapp said.

Kelly’s nature is evident in the work he has done with Every Nation Campus Ministry and as a Chapel Scholar through the Duke Chapel PathWays Student Ministry program. Pathways provides opportunities for students to explore and affirm their faith on campus, in Durham and beyond, through study, artistic expression, counseling, ministry and service.

2017 Commencement Homepage

His openness to new experiences led Kelly, who is fluent in Spanish, to participate in a homestay as part of the Duke in Spain program. The homestay adds an unusual dimension to the program because it allows students to become acclimated to Spanish culture, allowing them to predominantly speak Spanish and eating Spanish meals. Additionally, beyond emigrating from Nigeria in fifth grade, he hadn’t travelled outside of the US. Kelly notes that these six weeks were the most rewarding of his life and led him to add his major in Spanish.

Upon graduation, Kelly will become a member of the Duke College Advising Corps. Says Clapp, “As a Rhodes finalist, Kelly had many options as a result of his excelling at Duke. I am immensely proud of him for choosing to apply to the College Advising Corps, where he will be advising first generation college students like himself about the college going process.”