Joshua Oyediran is a student at Morehouse College, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a concentration in Sports, Culture, and Social Justice, along with a minor in Communication Studies. He brings a strong interdisciplinary foundation that blends finance, technology, and strategic communication, with a growing interest in investment management, business development, and leadership.
Joshua has professional experience across finance, technology, and consulting. He served as a Rotational Summer Analyst at Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, where he supported client relations and business development initiatives, participated in investor calls, and gained exposure to private credit investing across multiple asset classes, including energy and healthcare.
Current Whereabouts:
My interests sit at an intersection. I want to make sure I advocate for communities like the one I grew up in while also creating an uplifting platform for the voices of Black entrepreneurs and professionals. I have seen how often people of color are left out of the rooms where we need people of color. Whether its courtrooms or boardrooms these spaces are where the outcomes of entire communities are decided. I want to not only represent these communities through my experiences, but I want to make sure that success is not withheld from those with money or the correct name on their birth certificate. With a combination of my many experiences through internships and courses, I can position myself to understand people in the entertainment industry areas that determine who gets to shine.
Life & Professional Aspirations:
Because of the misrepresentation I experienced growing up, I was drawn to the Entertainment, Journalism, and Communications Industries. Hoping to use all the pain and suffering I dealt with in a positive way. Instead of judging people by the “cover of their book” I decided to do the opposite by using my personality and light that was placed inside me to bring people together in business deals. This is why I made it my goal to try my absolute best to work in the entertainment industry to use my degree to protect people of color, to protect anyone who has faced the injustices I have faced growing up. As I look ahead into my future, I see a clear view. This doesn’t pertain to just a profession but a platform to drive change. Growing up in an environment such as Madison where my identity was underestimated or misinterpreted I am determined to use this issue as a tool for protection, access and representation.
From Madison to Morehouse: “Overcoming Misrepresentation, Embracing Brotherhood”
By: Joshua Oyediran
The life of a Black suburban kid has many ups and downs. Most of the time, when you look at a Nigerian American boy who grew up in the suburbs of New York City, you might think “privileged,” “hand-out,” or even “prideful.” But in my case, I was none of these things.
My name is Joshua Oyediran. I am a Junior Journalism major with a Communication Studies minor from Madison, New Jersey. The world of Madison is a funny one—if you were a person of color, they made it ten times harder for you to be successful in the community. From as early as 1st grade, my teachers made me believe I was incapable of being a good student simply because of the color of my skin.
The friends I had around me were all white Americans who came from established backgrounds. In the home I grew up in, I had to be Nigerian meaning doing what I was told no matter the circumstances, completing endless chores, and often not being able to make friends. My parents were really strict, stripping away the social life I always wanted. Because of this lack of a social life, and growing up in a small town where less than 2% of the population were people of color, the only way I could show my worth to the people around me was by being an overachiever.
So I decided to excel in ways people I grew up with never saw a Nigerian American man do. I attended Harvard Model Congress my junior and senior year of high school and spent my summers at the National Youth Leadership Forum Yale Business Innovation camp. Outside of academics, I wanted to prove myself even more by becoming Captain of the Wrestling Team as well as Captain of the Drumline in the Marching Band.
Still, it seemed like everything I did was never enough for anyone. I felt isolated and lonely, like no one could understand me. That wasn’t until I found Morehouse College. Once I saw that there was a place where I could connect with people who looked and acted like me, I fell in love. Everyone at Morehouse followed the same path I did growing up. We were a brotherhood of overachievers, entrepreneurs, and excellence.
Morehouse College represents something I had never experienced before. It was the first place where excellence wasn’t questioned. The first place where being a Nigerian American man did not make me feel any different, this connected me to an even stronger lineage. I had found a great community of brothers who shared the same experiences as me. Other kids who had grown up having to work ten times as hard, who also navigated themselves through racial stereotypes, also who were taught to keep their heads high even when everyone in the world tried to keep them down. Here at Morehouse College I don’t need to prove to everyone around me whether or not I am worthy of being successful, instead I just need only to claim it.
Because of the misrepresentation I experienced growing up, I was drawn to the Entertainment, Journalism, and Communications Industries. Hoping to use all the pain and suffering I dealt with in a positive way. Instead of judging people by the “cover of their book” I decided to do the opposite by using my personality and light that was placed inside me to bring people together in business deals. This is why I made it my goal to try my absolute best to work in the entertainment industry to use my degree to protect people of color, to protect anyone who has faced the injustices I have faced growing up. As I look ahead into my future, I see a clear view. This doesn’t pertain to just a profession but a platform to drive change. Growing up in an environment such as Madison where my identity was underestimated or misinterpreted I am determined to use this issue as a tool for protection, access and representation.
My interests sit at an intersection. I want to make sure I advocate for communities like the one I grew up in while also creating an uplifting platform for the voices of Black entrepreneurs and professionals. I have seen how often people of color are left out of the rooms where we need people of color. Whether its courtrooms or boardrooms these spaces are where the outcomes of entire communities are decided. I want to not only represent these communities through my experiences, but I want to make sure that success is not withheld from those with money or the correct name on their birth certificate. With a combination of my many experiences through internships and courses, I can position myself to understand people in the entertainment industry areas that determine who gets to shine.
Every challenge I faced, every moment of doubt, every stereotype has become a foundation to my higher purpose. I am no longer chasing the feeling of pain I endured; instead I am using this to build a future of prosperity and peace, a future where young Black people can dream without limitation or fear.
In conclusion, my story reflects the challenges and victories I’ve had while being a Nigerian man at Morehouse College as well as in Madison, New Jersey. The experiences I’ve had now give me purpose and drive toward a profession that gives me real meaning and can affect change in America. At Morehouse College, I found a brotherhood that showed me I was never truly alone the same way I once felt.
I am no more a kid who felt unseen by others, instead I am an advocate, a proud African American leader. I am a Man of Morehouse never truly alone, forever to be supported by my fellow brothers who help me step by step into the true fullness of who God meant for me to be.
Most Memorable Moment:
Serving as a Room Attendant in the Morehouse College Renaissance Room
Volunteering during the Martin Luther King Day of Service at the Bonner Office of Community Service in Morehouse College.
