RARE  RISINGSTARS 2010 The UK’s Top 10 Black Students
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No. 1

 

Femi Fadugba

University of Pennsylvania
MPA Government Administration
Academics, social enterprise, student politics
Femi Fadugba
"With One Degree Solar, my colleagues and I have the opportunity to do something really great."

Since debuting in fourth place on last year's Rare Rising Stars list, Femi Fadugba has succeeded in shining even more brightly by harnessing the energy of the sun.

Through his work with solar energy firm One Degree Solar, he has been able to develop his interest in social entrepreneurship. He was inspired to become involved after reading an article in the New York Times in December 2010. "I read about a Kenyan man who was selling solar panels to rural off-grid people in Nakura but was struggling with getting supplies of good, affordable products. I went on a wild goose chase and the following day I hammered out an agreement with this man to supply him with solar products for the future."
 
RRS 2011: Replayed - 2011 Rare Rising Stars winner, Femi Fadugba, talks about his renewable energy firm, One Degree Solar, and its efforts to light up Africa.


Just half a year later, Nakura became the central distribution point for One Degree Solar and while it is still a small-scale start-up, the firm has branded products in over a dozen countries including Liberia, Rwanda and Kenya.

Among several accolades, Femi's pioneering work has earned him the recognition of the Kairos Society. Here, he is a global fellow in Energy and works alongside a network of top students and global leaders to solve the world's greatest challenges through entrepreneurship.

Fluent in French and a former St Catherine's College Oxford JCR President, Femi was in the top three graduating from his class in Materials Science. He is currently studying at the University of Pennsylvania on a two-year Thouron scholarship worth $80,000 per year. Femi holds an astounding 3.9 GPA - the equivalent of a 95% average - and recently saw his first co-authored paper on quantum physics published in PRL, a world-renowned physics journal.

"There is a lot that needs to be done and I am in a privileged enough position to do something about it."