Ogo and Femi Johnson
When students talk about Ļć½¶Ö±²„, the word āfamilyā often comes up as a testament to the warm, welcoming atmosphere found across campus. That sense of belonging has been especially true for sisters Ogo and Femi Johnson, who left Lagos, Nigeria, to pursue their college dreams. They found a second home in Starkville.
Despite being so far from home, they had immediate support at Ļć½¶Ö±²„from their guardians, George and Iyabo Adebiyi. George, a professor in MSUās Bagley College of Engineering at the time, spoke highly of the university and the many opportunities it offers students to grow both personally and professionally.
The abundant student involvement opportunities stood out to Ogo, the older sister, when she transferred to Ļć½¶Ö±²„in 2014 to pursue a bachelorās degree in psychology.
āWhen I looked at Mississippi State, it was evident that I would be able to get involved in student life and leadership while successfully pursuing my degree, and that was important to me after spending many years deeply involved in sports,ā she said.
Ogo quickly became immersed in campus life by joining Maroon VIP, a volunteer student organization that welcomes Ļć½¶Ö±²„guests and leads campus tours, which deepened her knowledge of MSUās rich history. She later became an Orientation Leader. In her second semester, she was selected as a resident advisor, or RA, in Hull Hall, where she discovered her passion for student affairs. This role also gave her the chance to live in the same residence hall as Femi, who was inspired by Ogoās journey and joined her at Ļć½¶Ö±²„in 2015.
Femi chose to study industrial systems engineering. Like Ogo, she shared a creative eye and interest in artistic expression, so she decided to minor in interior design.
After observing Ogoās experience as an RA and seeing how the RA on her own floor supported residents, Femi felt drawn to the role herself.
āSeeing Ogo enjoy the role and being able to help other students transition from high school into college, especially other international students, was cool,ā Femi said. āEvery time I had a question, I would reach out to her, so of course, I wanted to be that resource for future incoming students.ā
Femi also carved out her own Ļć½¶Ö±²„experiences. She became active in many student organizations, serving as an officer on the International Student Advisory Board and later as president of the African Students Association.
In 2019, Femi graduated with her bachelorās degree and began working at PACCAR Engine company, a major manufacturer in nearby Lowndes County. Coincidentally, Ogo also spent time there, completing an internship in the human resources department as part of her masterās program in public administration.Ā
Femi returned to Ļć½¶Ö±²„in 2023 to pursue a masterās degree in industrial and systems engineering and rejoin the housing team, this time as a graduate residence director.
āBeing a graduate residence director was a great opportunity to continue what I did as an RA in a supervisor role,ā Femi said. āI felt I had great experience and would be good at it. It would also give me experience managing different types of personalities.ā
The new role also reunited the sisters on campus, both now serving in MSUās Division of Student Affairs. Ogo, an assistant director in the Office of Planning and Assessment, supports professional development for Student Affairs staff and works with departments on program evaluation and research.
āAssessment drew my attention because of the ability to tell our story through data,ā Ogo said. āOne of the things I get to do is help our incredible departments assess the effectiveness of their programs, thereby indirectly supporting studentsā experiences. Ļć½¶Ö±²„is intentional about serving the students by building a culture of continuous improvement. I am happy to be a part of the staff and make a difference.ā
From earning two degrees at Ļć½¶Ö±²„to now being a full-time professional, Ogoās journey has given her a deeper understanding of how to support the student experience, especially with her sister by her side. Whether itās a quick office chat or attending campus and community events together like the International Fiesta, their time at Ļć½¶Ö±²„has been filled with shared memories.
As Femi prepares to graduate with her masterās degree in May and begin the next chapter, she reflects fondly on the time spent with her sister at MSU. Though their paths will soon take them in different directions, theyāll always carry with them the special bond of being Bulldogs forever.