When Pamela Agada was name ±«Óătvâs International Student of the Year at the ±«Óătv Impact Awards, she received the honour a little sheepishly.
âIâm like âoh, my godâ and I can see myself acting the fool on the camera,â she says. âIt was a really long walk to the stage.â
While the award wasnât a complete surprise, Ms. Agada hadnât even expected to be nominated originally. âThe first person who nominated me was my friend Camille Outerbridge from Bermuda,â she says. âI was like, âWhy would you nominate me?â⊠I felt really, really touched that anybody would notice the things I do, because I do them for myself.â
Ms. Agada is the vice-president of the ±«Óătv African Studentsâ Association, a member of ±«Óătv Equestrian and Dal Dance, a volunteer at the International Centre, a Black Student Advising Centre mentor, and also a receptionist and a building attendant with security services â and thatâs just the shortlist.
âThis isnât even half of what I do,â Ms. Agada notes of the summarized achievements which earned her the International Student of the Year Award, although sheâs not interested in bragging: âI donât want to make it seem like, âDoes this girl studyâ?â
Easy to get involved
Ms. Agadaâs commitments are so diverse partly because trying new things at Dal is easy: âI like the fact that there are so many societies on campus that one can get involved in,â she says.
Her interest in equestrianism, for interest, is relatively new. âThe first time I got on a horse, I screamed⊠you donât scream on a horse,â she warns. âIf a horse gets freaked out, youâre in trouble.â Sheâs come a long way since then. These days, âI want to be very confident to know how to ride a horse, how to saddle a horse, how to take care of a horse⊠being in charge of a beautiful animal that can easily kill me.â
In contrast to her recent interest in equestrianism, dance is Ms. Agadaâs lifelong passion. âMy mom would tell you that I learned how to dance when I learned how to walk.â She started with ballet, and before long, âI was in every dance group in my elementary school.â Ms. Agada appreciates the intangible rush she gets from dancing.
âWhen Iâm dancing Iâm in my own zone⊠I have no care in the world. I donât care if I have a 100-page paper due the next day⊠I can play music in my apartment and dance until Iâm exhausted.â
In the winter semester, however, everything else takes a backseat to Ms. Agadaâs responsibilities to the African Studentsâ Association â including the major job of organizing African Night. âI became an exec in my first year,â Ms. Agada says of her involvement with the association. âI went to the meeting as a student⊠and came out as an executive, which was very, very shocking to me!â She plans to remain a member of the DASA for the rest of her university career, and even after graduation.
Commitment to global mental health
Ms. Agada is double-majoring in psychology and international development. Her home is in Nigeria, but sheâs been living in Canada since high school, where she attended an international school in Hamilton, Ontario. Her subsequent choice to attend ±«Óătv was largely influenced by its proximity to the ocean, which reminded Ms. Agada of the city she grew up in Nigeria. âWith all the friends Iâve made, itâs been a good time,â she says of her university experience.
Once she graduates from ±«Óătv, Ms. Agada would like to continue graduate work âanywhere in Canada â Dal, Vancouver, Nunavut, New Brunswick.â Her long-term goal is to âget back home and try and better my country⊠mental health in Nigeria would be an issue to meâŠI think itâs not just Nigeria, but a lot of African countries, they really donât know the value of mental health.â
And while she acknowledges that helping an entire nation think about mental health in a new way is pretty ambitious, thatâs just her style.
âPeople who know me know that when I set my mind to do something, I will try my very best to accomplish that thing.â