Mary Olushoga '06
Faculty sponsor: Deidre Hill Butler, sociology Other Mothering in Motion: Parenting Styles of African American Stepmothers
Mary Olushoga stands outside Wold House, greeting the 94-degree day with a generous smile. “I love this weather,” says the 20-year-old who moved from Nigeria to the Bronx when she was 14.
With a major in sociology and a minor in Africana studies, Olushoga gravitates toward the study of social structures and human interaction. “I like to view people in the context of their environment…If someone thinks, ‘Mary is Mary because she is from Nigeria and lives in the Bronx and goes to Union College,' they will have a better idea of who I am.”
Last summer Olushoga assisted Prof. Deidre Hill Butler in researching the parenting styles of African American stepmothers.
“There hasn't been a lot written on this,” Olushoga says. “The divorce rates are very high among working- class African Americans because of economic stress, social stress, and husbands who feel they can't live up to the role of provider.” The rates are equally high, she noted, among African American women who are college-educated.
Olushoga unearthed her senior thesis topic: why a high number of college-educated black women are single and choose adoption.”
Olushoga's scholarly pursuits provide only a glimpse into her many talents. Last summer she was a counselor and tutor for STEP, the Science and Technology Entry Program for high school students. A natural performer, she was the recipient of the Edward Villella Fellowship for dance and gave daily lessons in African cultural dance at the Hamilton Hill Arts Center in Schenectady.
She also sings with the College jazz band, leads the gospel choir, Heavenly Voices, and has performed in every dance program since setting foot on campus. She inspired the song, “Smile,” in The Black Tulip by Kit Goldstein '05, and sang the number in the musical.
Her involvement on campus doesn't end there, however. As Prof. Hill-Butler describes, “Mary has been an active community builder at Union and has brought both vision and enthusiasm to her leadership roles on campus.” She is also an admissions interviewer and was elected vice president of campus life for Student Forum.