Owólabi Aboyade MFA '25 Awarded Fall 2024 Mapmakers Teaching Assistantship
Owólabi Aboyade MFA '25 has been awarded the Fall 2024 Mapmakers Teaching Assistantship, a competitive opportunity co-sponsored by the Master of Fine Arts and English programs.
The assistantship is open to all MFA students entering their 3rd or 4th semesters who have been awarded the Kwame Dawes Mapmakers Scholarship. The Mapmakers scholarship currently offers partial tuition awards to exceptional students of color, and this teaching fellowship offers an additional stipend.
In this role Owólabi assists in the teaching of a section of ENGW 180, Writing and Research, led this term by MFA Program Director Scott Korb, who will offer pedagogy mentorship throughout the assistantship semester, as well.
Owólabi had this to say about finding his way into the Pacific undergraduate classroom: "I am honored to teach this semester with the award that bears the name of Kwame Dawes, teacher, scholar, critic, and of course poet laureate of Jamaica. What a trip to share a writing journey with these young Pacific adults! As this year’s Mapmaker Teaching Assistant I hope to support the students as they learn a little nuance, learn from each other, and learn to take risks by sharing their lives on the page."
A couple weeks into the semester already, and Owólabi is making a profound difference to this group of Pacific undergrads. The MFA team congratulates him!
