FAIR LAWN — Oluwatamilore “Tami” Kabiawu has a 4.6 GPA, a host of athletic accomplishments and a myriad of colleges to choose from, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Columbia and MIT.

The Fair Lawn High School senior has been accepted to more than a dozen colleges in all, some of them with acceptance rates around 5%.

"Tami is truly a gifted young man," said Joseph Lake, Kabiawu's guidance counselor. "What Tami is experiencing is the result of his self-esteem and feelings of love and belongingness — being nurtured to his full potential."

He is leaning heavily toward Harvard University, "the best of both worlds — technology and liberal arts," where he aims to major in computer science and do research into artificial intelligence and augmented reality, Kabiawu said.

A unique college essay, to say the least
While Kabiawu is an accomplished track and field athlete and president of the Future Business Leaders of America and National Honor Society, there's something else that makes him stand out.

“I wrote my college essay on decapitated cow heads, which I know sounds a little crazy,” he said.

Kabiawu was 9 when he visited family in Nigeria for a wedding. (Kabiawu embraces his Nigerian culture fully, a quality that his parents emphasize.)

The cows, Kabiawu explained, were slaughtered near the reception so that the meat would not need to be refrigerated. “As I walked by I just saw these decapitated cow heads,” Kabiawu said. “I was really, like, shocked by it and really appalled,” he said.

But then he stopped for a moment and took everything in, and he thought, "I shouldn't necessarily be repulsed by this — but just curious."

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Rather than dismissing the unfamiliar, he recognized the importance of embracing differences. He likened the experience to growing up in Fair Lawn.

"I didn't necessarily fit a particular stereotype of how people thought Black students should act," he said. “Over time, I've gained confidence in myself, and people are drawn to that, and I was allowed to be more authentic.”

Now, he sees "cow heads" as a metaphor for people who are unabashedly themselves and unafraid to show who they are, he said.

His mother, Dami Kabiawu, said, "I've always taught them [Tami and twin brother Tommy] to believe in themselves and be very polite, to always stand their ground.”

Tami Kabiawu's dad lives and works in Nigeria, and the son said his interest in technology stems from being able to connect with him via FaceTime and WhatsApp.

Tami Kabiawu Fair Lawn High school Class Of 2021 sits amid his multiple Ivy League acceptance letters. Kabiawu was accepted 14 universities include five Ivy League schools.
Kabiawu sees his path to success in hard work and persistence.

"What makes me most happy is making these little goals and sticking with them, and gradually over time achieving the big goal," he said.

Shaylah Brown is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: browns@northjersey.com

Twitter: @shaylah_brown

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/fair-lawn/2021/04/18/fair-lawn-high-school-student-accepted-harvard-princeton-yale/7237884002/