EDWARDSVILLE – Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is an elective program that prepares university students with the tools, training and experiences to help them succeed in any competitive environment. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s ROTC Cadet Oluwatobiloba Adeniyi is a first-generation student dedicated to learning these skills while furthering his career in both engineering and business.
Adeniyi, of Nigeria, serves as an SMP (Simultaneous Membership Program) Cadet in the Illinois National Guard, where he is currently shadowing his platoon leader and training to be an officer in the U.S. Army. While performing ROTC duties throughout the school year, he has propelled his career forward while gaining hands-on internship experience for his industrial engineering major and business minor.
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“Cadet Adeniyi is driven to establish himself by pursuing and exceling in many opportunities, including ROTC leadership development training and technical internships,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Clark, SIUE ROTC professor of military science. “At one point, he had two internships and held a regular job to work his way through school, with help from ROTC.”
Last year, Adeniyi participated as a student trainee with NPower, a nonprofit program that creates pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities. During the internship, he gained business experience as a project manager for a company by conducting data analysis.
Adeniyi currently serves as an electromechanical technician intern at F.S. Curtis. His duties include installing electrical parts and wire components from control boards to air compressor pumps, conducting pressure switches using soldering equipment and hand tools, and reading schematics and technical orders to choose methods and sequences for assembling components on a large variety of air compressors.
Adeniyi appreciates the professionalism and connections he has developed. “These internships have helped me prepare for the future by being more marketable as a college graduate,” he said. “Now, I will require less training and can handle more responsibilities.”
Throughout the school year, Adeniyi also represents his peers as an engineering senator in Student Government. He credits his self-discipline and time management skills for allowing him to make the most out of these opportunities.
“I practice self-discipline by keeping a planner and a schedule,” shared Adeniyi. “Planning out each day and what assignments need to be completed helps with time management. The most important thing is to give myself enough personal time.”
Adeniyi is slated to graduate in fall 2021. Upon graduation, he aspires to find a full-time job where he can utilize his military experience and education to contribute to a company’s growth.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000.
Photo: SIUE ROTC Cadet Oluwatobiloba Adeniyi.
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