FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 21, 2010
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

MUW home away from home for international students

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Akki Brathwaite and Sobayo Femi, both from different parts of the world, have managed to find a home away from home on the campus of Mississippi University for Women.
           
Brathwaite, who is from Tokyo, Japan, is a senior graphic design major. Sobayo, better known as “Femi,” hails from Abeoukuta, Nigeria, and is a junior studying math.
           
Both studied Clay Arts 1 under Alisa “Al” Holen, assistant professor of art, this summer.
           
“This was a general introduction to working consistently with clay to form various kinds of functional and sculptural objects and forms. In five weeks, we basically knew the history of clay arts, how to make clay and a tremendous amount of understanding how to hand build with coils and slabs,” Femi said.
           
Brathwaite added, “We advanced into throwing, in which we learned to use the potter’s wheel—my favorite part of the class. Al is an extremely skilled professor and I love every class that I have had with her.”
           
The two agreed that it was their professor’s experience and encouragement that made them work harder.
           
“She pushed us to challenge ourselves with various projects, especially when starting us off with a large vessel,” Brathwaite said. “Since the class was accelerated, it was a little bit harder to slack off, and really, I think, made all of us work harder than we would have if we had taken the class during the regular school semester.”
           
Femi said, “I learned how to think a whole lot more outside the box and realized that risk taking is really worth it sometimes.”
           
In addition to dedicated faculty, the students credit MUW’s family-like atmosphere to their success.
           
“Though MUW may be a smaller school, education here is important and everyone should strive to do their absolute best,” Brathwaite said.
           
Femi echoed, “This is a great college for those who seek close educational attention as there are professors at ones beck and call who are ready to see one succeed. It’s even a better college for international students who are a little bit scared about cultural differences because apart from being an educational center with superb teaching standards, MUW is also a great family.”
           
And speaking of family, Femi noted he first learned about MUW through his aunt, Iyabo Adebiyi, who attended the nursing program and now works as a nurse in Oktibbeha County Hospital.
           
Upon graduation, he plans to pursue a career in architecture. Brathwaite looks forward to finding an interesting internship.