Student Profile Series: Adetokunbo Fajemirokun

We Are English Majors: Adetokunbo Fajemirokun
Ade’s hometown is Oakland, Ca. He is an English major who will be declaring a Communication major as well when he starts his Senior year this fall.
 
We asked Ade four questions in this, our first installment of a new series dedicated to profiling UC Davis English majors. 
 
How did you first become interested in studying English at the university level? 
 
I will never forget the time I decided to study English at the university level. It was my second year of Jr College, in a Shakespeare class that was a requirement to transfer. At the end of the class our professor Jenny Lowood made us do a mock trial putting Gertrude of Hamlet on trial for the murder of King Hamlet, child endangerment, and conspiracy to seize the crown. I was a prosecuting lawyer. I've never been so engaged with a piece of text in my life. I fell in love with the ambiguity of literature; and quite frankly being able to argue and discuss opposing views of the same piece of work. 
 
What were some of the challenges of transferring into the Davis English department? Any advice for students transferring to Davis this fall?
 
Transferring from Berkeley City College to UC Davis gave me a few challenges. The main challenge was class size. At BCC every English class had no more then 20 students. This made discussion and access to the professors easy. At UC Davis some of the class sizes are considerably larger to where we have to split discussion and lecture- which was a bit weird for me. I suggest every English transfer to go to office hours and utilize discussion sections.
 
How was the course you took last year in the Data Studies Program for Undergraduates? Can you talk about how that work related or complemented or even felt truly different from the work you do in English?
 
It was a very challenging class. As far as the actual coding goes my English major didn't prepare me at all. What my English major did help me with was the actual analysis of the data, writing the reports, and being able to comprehend the jargon filled guides.
 
In English we take a set of data, in the form of literature, and find connections that aren't obvious. In data studies you observe data that is loosely connected and find connections and make inferences. I think both disciplines require a tremendous amount of imagination and creativity.
 
What are your plans after graduation?
 
Over the summer I interned at a startup tech company called REVEALiO. We worked in the Batchery, an incubator for startups. Being in that environment of new ideas and innovation was really exhilarating and motivating. After I graduate I plan on entering the business world by seeking employment from startup tech companies in the Bay Area.