BALTIMORE — Jayo Adeboyo, a track and field star at UMBC, has been named the Arthur Ashe Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
The prestigious award recognizes students of color who excel both academically and athletically.
VIDEO: UMBC track star wins prestigious Arthur Ashe scholar athlete award
Adeboyo, who is also a first-generation medical student, earned the honor with impressive achievements both on and off the track.
"I remember dropping my phone, running a few laps around the house, and I was like, oh my gosh, I actually got it," Adeboyo said.
The UMBC athlete won a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay, helping set a school record at the time. In the classroom, he maintains a 3.95 GPA.
"Everything has been about making whatever space I enter better, and in terms of dealing with the challenges of balancing it all, it's been leaning into my support groups and kind of thinking about what is, what am I working for, which is the betterment of whatever space I go into," Adeboyo said.
His journey to success has been motivated by personal challenges. Adeboyo's twin brother is autistic and has communication difficulties that leave him relatively nonverbal.
"I wanted to know what can I do for my brother to be able to help him in the long run, be able to help take care of himself, and then also help whoever is his caretaker," Adeboyo said.
His father's struggle with worsening migraines has also influenced his career path. Adeboyo has observed how his father's medications have caused side effects, including memory loss and insomnia.
"I was really interested also getting into medicine and figuring out, OK, can I do research to help with where the field of migraine research is actually at?" And then be able to help my dad find those remedies so that he can live a better life," Adeboyo said.
Adeboyo credits his Nigerian heritage for preparing him for success.
"Being a recipient of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for me, I would say it's invigorating; it fills me with pride. We have this saying that we say, Naija No Dey Carry Last, which means Nigerians don't come last. We always are aiming for the top," Adeboyo said.
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