A graduate from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) who has used her YouTube channel to help hundreds of students secure scholarships has won an international award.
Faith Moyosore Agboola was awarded the Culture and Creativity title at the 2024 Study UK Alumni Awards for Nigeria.
The prestigious global awards scheme celebrates the outstanding alumni who are using their UK education to make a difference in their professions, societies, and countries.
Having already founded a literary organisation, The African Writers, Faith decided to explore other channels of creativity and secured a scholarship to complete a Master’s in Creative Industries Management and Enterprise at DMU.
“I am grateful to have won the National British Council Study UK Culture & Creativity Award. A big thank you to God, my family, friends and DMU for supporting my creative dreams. Thank you, British Council, for this recognition of my work as a poet and with AFM Stories.” said Faith.
Faith credits the university as a catalyst for developing her creative interests and inspiring her to become an innovative entrepreneur.
She said: “My master’s was a turning point in my life. Supported by lecturers, I began hosting course admissions showcases and school events, and even represented DMU and the UK at the Dubai Expo 2020 as a speaker, all of which encouraged my creative expression.”
To help other students looking for guidance, Faith created a YouTube channel, AFM Stories, and has produced videos which have helped more than 200 students secure scholarships.
“DMU’s Launchpad programme, which supports students in creating start-ups, played a pivotal role in my journey,” said Faith.
"It provided me with the tools and resources to develop my YouTube channel, underscoring DMU's dedication to nurturing innovation and fostering the next generation of creative leaders.
“Studying in the UK has been a game-changer for my creative path. It offered more than just knowledge - it equipped me with essential skills in branding, marketing and the business aspects of creativity. These practical insights have propelled my career as a poet, bolstered my brand as a YouTuber, and built my confidence as a speaker.”
As a performance poet, Faith has shared her poetry with more than 20,000 people at several events and was nominated in the 2023 APVA Awards as a rising talent of the year in spoken word.
The experience of representing Nigeria and the UK at the Dubai Expo in 2020 – where DMU was a founding partner of the UK Pavilion - gave Faith opportunities to share insights from her course at various cultural events.
Faith said: “These events included the Africa Nxt Festival and the Abuja Literary Festival, where I offered advice based on my master's research on how Nigeria's creative and literary industry can be further developed.
“My UK education provided the fertile ground for me to blossom into the multifaceted individual I am today.”
Posted on Wednesday 28 February 2024