Femi Fadugba

If the title of his web initiative is anything to go by, Femi Fadugba really is fearless. Femi co-founded The Fearless Diaspora after recognising that a lot of young people of African origin studying outside Africa still maintained a passion for the continent and felt a responsibility to give back to it in some capacity, one day.

The site serves as a platform for discussion of ideas and exploration of issues affecting Africa and its people. It contains articles on current African affairs and topical discussions. Femi describes it as “an awesome platform for the African voice to be heard”.

Whilst he is driven by a strong social responsibility, Femi has always made his academics a priority, and performed spectacularly as a result. He achieved a First Class degree in his Finals at Oxford and was recently presented with the prestigious Thouron Award, an Ivy League scholarship worth $80,000. The scholarship will fund his two-year Masters course at the University of Pennsylvania.

Despite enjoying his degree in Materials Science immensely - and winning the Armourer’s Rolls-Royce Award for coming in the top 3 in his first year exams, and the QinetiQ Prize for best third year Team Design Project - Femi has decided to study Government Administration in the United States to propel his ambition towards a career in energy policy. “I want to be well informed”, he says.

His university years have also seen him play rugby for the University Under 20s, and lead his College’s JCR as President from 2007 to 2008. His greatest achievement in this role was establishing a scholarship fund for incoming students experiencing financial strain.

Femi has also found time to do four internships while studying, including one with an engineering company and another with Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May. His most memorable work experience, however, was a stint at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. “Intensely, profoundly life changing”, is how he describes it.