Adesola Akinwale came to Delaware State University (DSU) with a simple goal: push herself to be bold and take advantage of the opportunities in front of her. Now as a graduate, she’s proud to say she did exactly that.
“Being at a university that gives you the space to create opportunities and community for yourself helped me develop the mindset of ‘if you want something, go ahead and grab it,’” Adesola said.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, Adesola is headed to law school at Cornell University at just 19 years old, a milestone she reached through Advanced Placement credits and dual enrollment coursework.
“Throughout college, I didn’t let myself get too comfortable with the idea of being ahead,” Adesola said. “It feels crazy to be headed to law school at 19, but it worked out exactly like it was meant to.”
At Cornell, Adesola plans to pursue intellectual property law made possible by the Citizens for Judicial Fairness scholarship from the Phil Shawe Fund.
“Winning that scholarship was a miracle,” Adesola said. “They saw value in me and my story and invested in me.”
That story took shape early at DSU, starting with UNIV 291: the DSU Braven Career and Leadership Accelerator, which she completed as a freshman.
“Braven gave me a nice foundation to communicate my accomplishments, practice interviewing, and helped me land my first internship,” Adesola shared.
She later became a Braven Hornet Ambassador, guiding other DSU students to get the most out of their experience – something she found genuinely rewarding. Her pay-it-forward mindset is only beginning.
“Braven is essentially a lifelong fellowship. It’s not really something that you age out of, I’d love to come back as a professional mentor and help other students along their law school journey,” Adesola said.
As she prepares for her first day of law school, Adesola credits her family as the foundation of everything she’s accomplished.
“I like to say that I’m the best part of both of my parents,” Adesola said. “They are a really big part of who I am and who I’d like to be. This accomplishment is just as much theirs as it is mine.”
