Four Siblings, One College

International business major Patrick Ijewere (pronounced “Ee-jay-way-ray”) ’23 is minoring in economics at Florida Southern College. With the number of accolades the college has received for its business programs, it is not surprising that FSC would be his choice.

What is surprising is that all of Patrick’s siblings, each born two years apart and who like Patrick graduated high school at the age of 16, also chose to attend the College. Three of the Ijewere siblings are currently enrolled at FSC. At age 20 he is the oldest of the three enrolled; however, Patrick is not the oldest of the Ijeweres.

Twenty-two-year-old Onosetale is the eldest and the first Ijewere to graduate from Florida Southern. She graduated in 2021, with a degree in nursing with a pre-med track and minors in biology and chemistry.

When she attended FSC, Onosetale was president of the Multicultural Student Council (MSC), served as vice-president of Diversity and Inclusion for the Student Government Association (SGA), and held a seat on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She was also an active member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Sigma Theta Tau, honor societies that recognize academic excellence. She also gave tours as a Southern Ambassador and worked in the Evett L. Simmons Center for Multicultural Appreciation. 

Onosetale was also the recipient of Florida Southern’s highest student award, the Honor Walk Award, which recognizes notable achievements in academics, leadership, and student involvement.

Patrick feels FSC’s smaller class sizes were an easier transition for he and his siblings as international students. His family lived in Lagos, Nigeria from the time he was six until he was high school aged. He and his siblings attended boarding school for most of the time they lived in Nigeria. He also attended a day school for a short time so he could focus on swimming.

He credits Karla Reigosa, who worked as an admissions counselor at FSC, for helping him and his siblings with the enrollment process.

“She was a big part of our help getting admitted,” Patrick said.

He was pleasantly surprised that his professors had actual real-world experience, especially his business professors.

“Any question that you have about interviews or internships or just careers in particular, they would be able to help,” Patrick said. “They’ve been really helpful on a personal level, outside of the classroom, too.”

The two youngest Ijeweres are freshmen with anticipated 2026 graduation dates. No, they are not twins.

Computer science major Xavier is 18; he took a gap year after graduating from high school. He says it is a blessing having family members at FSC. His siblings have his back when he needs them. He knows his older sister set a high standard for all of her siblings.

“It takes time and effort to uphold the reputation built by another,” Xavier said. “However, I like to look at it not to compare, but as a reminder to stay on track.”

Nursing major and psychology minor Malaika is 16, the youngest in the family. She agrees that her older sister’s accomplishments should not be used as a measure of her own success.

“My sister’s success is not something I base my life on, but it does encourage me to build my path at college,” Malaika said. “Apart from my sister having a plaque on the Honor Walk, there really isn’t any added pressure. I’ve always had some form of expectation to live up to, whether it was high school or elementary school, so still having expectations to live up to in college is not much different. It’s more of motivation for me to succeed.”

Malaika says she has always attended institutions where she has been with one or more of her siblings. So, having them at FSC is not unusual for her. She says having a support system on campus is a good thing. She does not see any downside to having her brothers at the same college. Having them on campus was one of the reasons she decided to attend FSC.

“My major decision was based on the fact that my other siblings were enrolled in the college,” Malaika acknowledged, “but I also wanted to go to a smaller college where I could actually have valued relationships with people.”

Malaika is a member of MSC and the International Student Association (ISA). She is looking forward to taking on leadership roles in some of the campus organizations.

The siblings spend time with each other on and off campus. Patrick and Xavier do things like get haircuts together. All three Ijeweres currently enrolled at FSC participate in Black Student Union (BSU) and the MSC events.

FSC faculty, staff, and students like to think of the College as an extended family. In the case of the Ijewere siblings, the family ties are much deeper and create a sense of comfort.