MEET THE 2022 GIA FINALISTS: OLANIKE OLADUNNI OLANIYI
Olanike at the Eagle branch of the Indianapolis Public Library in 2019.
Orginally from Nigeria, Olanike Oladunni Olaniyi currently works for the Indianapolis Public Library as a collection development librarian – supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion goals of the library by selecting diverse resources in 25 world languages. As one of the three finalists for the 2022 Global Impression Award, Olanike plans to leave her global impression on the state of Indiana by collaborating with individuals, institutions, and agencies to enrich and promote initiatives and projects that would bring positivity to the various neighborhoods of Indianapolis.
Education:
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis – Master of Library and Information
University of Ibadan, Ibadan Nigeria – Master of Information Science
Bachelor of Library, Archival & Information Studies
Involvement:
Natural Helper volunteer with Immigrant Welcome Center
Volunteer with Grassroots Projects
Member of Greater Indianapolis Impact 100
Recent Career Highlights:
As an immigrant herself, Olanike understands the struggles of navigating a new country. When she became an Immigrant Welcome Center Natural Helper in 2019, Olanike assisted 138 immigrant and refugee families in Indianapolis by connecting them to an abundance of resources. Recently, Olanike led a project around nutrition education for immigrant communities in partnership with FindHelp – a network of social assistance. In the project, Olanike hosted culturally specific nutrition-education events for immigrants from Africa and South/Latin America. She worked alongside a nutritionist to provide a class that taught the attendees how to find healthy foods at grocery stores, read nutrition labels, prepare meals, and find alternatives to some of their traditional foods from home.
Olanike (right) poses with students in Ibadan, Nigera, where she served as a librarian with Oyo State Library Board in 2015.
Awards
Olanike received several awards including the 2022 American Library Association Emerged Leader and the FindHelp 2022 Fellow (Community Development). Olanike was also awarded the Indiana Library Federation Esther Schlundt Memorial Scholarship twice.
Olanike and the two other Global Impression Award Finalists will be celebrated at the International Citizen of the Year event on October 18, 2022. Tickets are available now!
By: Julie Johnson, Marketing & Communications Intern
