The Scarlet & Black

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The Scarlet & Black

The Scarlet & Black

Spotlight: Tolu Alabi

What’s your major?

Computer Science and Math

What’s your favorite class here?

All of my classes are interesting so it’s hard to choose. But if I have to, then I would say ”Symbolic Logic,” which is a philosophy class. It was a pretty easy class. I had so much fun and barely did any work.

Do you have to stay on campus anytime during winter break for basketball?

This year, we actually have a game on January 1. Usually we got the first two weeks of winter break off, but this year because the calendar is weird, we have only 8 days off. We’re leaving on the 21 and have to come back on the 29. We’ll stay on campus from December 29‘til school starts.

What’s your plan after graduation?

I got a job already, which is exciting. I’ll be working for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City. I’m a computer science major so I’m going to work in Goldman Sachs technology division and I’ll be programming.

For you, what’s the worst and best part of being a student-athlete?

The best part for me is that I made so many friends and I love it. I love the fact that I have a huge friend circle. I have friends in different teams and I can interact with them and learn about their sports and go to watch them play, which I love doing and it helps me understand what other athletes go through.

The worst part for me is balancing school and basketball. It’s really hard. I have to work for work-study. I have to do my homework, go to work, and then do basketball.

Why did you choose to attend Grinnell?

I applied to Grinnell early so Grinnell was the only school I applied to. As soon as I got into Grinnell, I didn’t apply to any other schools. I didn’t know anyone who went to Grinnell. I chose to apply because I wanted to go to a small liberal arts college that ranked highly and Grinnell was ranked really high. I communicated with the basketball coach and she seemed really nice and she encouraged me to apply. I emailed John Edwards (Coordinator of International Admissions) and Karen Edwards (Director of International Student Affairs) a lot and they were awesome. So why not, this school seemed really good?

What’s your favorite D-hall food?

Stir-fry. Since first year, I’ve eaten stir-fry for lunch and dinner every day, except on the days when there’s no stir-fry. Now I’ve reduced [eating stir-fry] because sometimes when I go for lunch, the line is too long and I can’t wait so I’ll eat something else. But if the line is not that long, I’m going for stir-fry. The stir-fry is the closest to food back home because we eat a lot of rice and chicken.

Beside basketball, do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at Grinnell?

I’m a member of ISO (International Students Organization) and two years ago I was on the cabinet. I’m part of ACSU (African and Caribbean Students Union).

Do you listen to any particular song before a basketball match?

I like to listen to hip-hop, rap and Nigerian music. I like to listen to Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown. Especially Chris Brown.

10)Where do you work anywhere on campus?

I’m a Computer Science tutor, mentor, TC and a Math tutor in the Math Lab. I work about 10 hours per week.

-compiled by Khoa Nguyen

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