More than three months of the school year have already passed, and the leaves that fell during Parents’ Weekend have already turned into snow. Students are starting to wear jackets and sweaters to their classes due to the chilly weather. However, one student in particular has had to put on extra layers of clothes in order to stay warm for a winter with which he’s unfamiliar.

Olaoluwakitan (Kitan) Irukera ’13 came to Deerfield from Lagos, Nigeria, in order to get a better education and explore a new culture.

Remarking on his reason for coming to Deerfield, Irukera said, “Unlike Deerfield, schools in Nigeria do not allow students the freedom to take the classes that they want to be part of. The freedom that Deerfield offers its students appealed to me greatly.” According to Irukera, Nigeria’s education system is based on the British system, in which students are treated strictly and required to take the same courses as others.

Although Irukera loves the education at Deerfield, he dearly misses his family in Nigeria. “Although the close friends I have made in Deerfield support me and take my family’s place to a great extent, I still miss home a lot,” said Irukera, adding with a chuckle, “However, I will not let the emotional ties with my family thwart me from getting education in Deerfield.”

As an international student in a place with educational freedom, Irukera is striving to achieve success.