Nifemi Adebayo

Age: 18
Grade: First-year student at University of Alberta; Westwood Community High School Graduate for Class of 2020
Future Goal: To obtain a Masters in Criminology, and join the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU)

Written by Mira Patel, MACOY

As the Student Council President of Westwood Community High School from 2018 to 2020, Nifemi Adebayo has demonstrated leadership throughout her high school presence.

“Being president of the student council made me a better person,” she said. “(It) made me have better time management to balance school, work and my grades. (It) gave me numerous opportunities to help out around the school, the Division and the community.”

Nifemi was also active in organizing fundraisers and events at her school including Spirit Day, Midnight Madness, school dances and pep rallies. She has also spent two years on Westwood’s Administrative Advisory Council, where she studied the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

As an active member of the Nigerian Canada Association of Fort McMurray (NCAFM) since 2007, Nifemi involves herself in the Association’s initiatives by providing speeches at local events and taking part in community clean-up initiatives.

She said she’s proud to be a Nigerian woman and has also organized fashion shows and dance performances to showcase her traditional Nigerian culture through clothing.

“I love it. It makes me so heartfelt that I get to help the community and give back to it,” she said.

Since age 10, Nifemi has been competing in Taekwondo. In 2016, she won a gold medal for the division at the Nationals and currently has a first-degree Taekwondo black belt.

Above all of her triumphs and passions, performing music is one of her favourites. She started playing piano at the young age of five. Since 2017, Nifemi has been singing at her church on Sundays.

By age 14, she started to write songs in her free time and wrote her first song entitled Silent.

The following year, she started to learn the guitar and ukulele. Most recently, Nifemi has performed at the 2019 WinterPLAY and sang the National Anthem for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons’ NHL Alumni Game.

“Music is my favourite form of art. It will always be an important part of my life. And I honestly do not know where I would be without it. For me, music provides safety and security in times of trauma,” she said. “With music, we have created more beauty than languages can explain, and music is what I love about life the most.”

“Music is my favourite form of art. It will always be an important part of my life… For me, music provides safety and security in times of trauma.”

—Nifemi Adebayo

About the author

YMM Parent Team

YMM Parent Team is a collaboration of authors and contributors from in and around Fort McMurray.