Why Your Current Students Are Your Best Recruiters: How to Leverage the Power of Peer-to-Peer Influence in Admissions

Kevin Obomanu

Kevin Obomanu is a globetrotter with a knack for news and social equality. A dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, Kevin has lived in four countries and several parts of the USA, picking up something new about the people he encounters, either about the community he’s in or more about himself. For over five years, after graduating from Columbia with a degree in television, he was the Program Coordinator for Columbia Links, a high school news literacy program housed in Columbia’s journalism department. This program uses multimedia journalism to improve writing and communications skills while instilling confidence and critical thinking. Columbia Links reaches primarily high schools a part of Chicago Public Schools, specifically the schools that are underperforming. Majority of the students in this program were students of color. Kevin was previously the Coordinator of International Affairs (currently called International Student and Scholar Services, ISSS) at Columbia College Chicago where he has the pleasure of working with students from 60+ countries across the globe and given the chance to execute his intercultural communication skills and provide a safe, engaging space for international students. Recently, he was an International Admissions Officer at the college, where he can help students find the best fit for their future endeavors. He returned to his previous role as Coordinator of ISSS, then left in 2019 to be a part of the Unibuddy family. In Kevin’s spare time, he hosts people via Couchsurfing.org from many corners on earth. He is also a casual unofficial analyst of reality television, most notable Real Housewives of Atlanta and Married to Medicine. You can usually find him listening to CNN, reading the New York Times or baking cookies.