University of Wisconsin-Superior student Oreoluwa “Ore” Sofolahan has been named a ‘Bridging the Divide’ campus leader for the 2024 fall semester by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. She will receive a full-tuition scholarship from the program’s funder, the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

As a ‘Bridging the Divide’ campus leader, Sofolahan, an international student from Lagos, Nigeria, will lead eight student-to-student discussion groups this year to support her peers in civil discourse.

“I am beyond excited to be partnering with the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership in ‘Bridging the Divide’, and I am grateful for the platform UW-Superior has provided me with,” said Sofolahan, who is pursuing a biology major with a pre-med and health concentration and a chemistry minor at UW-Superior. “To me, this recognition represents being part of an initiative that will inspire a generation to engage in impactful and enlightening conversations, driving meaningful change. I firmly believe that effective communication can be properly employed to bridge divides caused by political beliefs, race, sex, religion, ethnicity and several other mediums in which society is polarized. In all these facets, UW-Superior is blessed, and I look forward to all that we can accomplish as one diverse, but unified voice.”

For Sofolahan, finding her way from Nigeria to Superior was a smooth transition.

“I chose UW-Superior because of its welcoming atmosphere,” she said. “The warmth and efficiency of the international admissions office drew me in and made my journey to the United States far less daunting.

“After my first semester I fell in love with the campus. Its close-knit community of faculty and staff who are committed to helping students achieve their goals, and its commitment to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion are extremely admirable. I would recommend to UWS to any international student.” 

On campus, Sofolahan is a student researcher for the Lake Superior Research Institute, vice president of the World Students Association and a peer tutor in the Educational Success Center.

“We are so pleased to be supporting this year’s Bridging the Divide Campus Leader Oreoluwa Sofolahan,” said Katelyn Baumann, outreach program manager for the Link Center and co-chair of Academic Staff Senate. “A core part of UW-Superior’s mission is our commitment to ‘multiple voices.’”

 ‘Bridging the Divide’ is a program that brings students of different ideological backgrounds together to foster civil discourse and reduce partisan division. Campus leaders will conduct civil discourse discussion groups once a month on their campuses.

“Being able to engage in conversation with folks of differing viewpoints, is a strong component of a liberal arts education,” said Baumann. “Ore’s discussion groups will provide students a welcoming environment to practice this amongst peers. The goal of these workshops is to bring students of different ideological backgrounds tighter to increase all students civil discourse and reduce the partisan divide.”

The Thompson Center received over 60 applications from all 13 campuses and selected 20 students to lead this year’s program. The students range from sophomores to seniors with a wide range of academic backgrounds. Applicants were chosen not only on the strengths of their academics but on their written essays. Students are awarded tuition scholarships for their leadership positions in this program.