In 2010, Daniel Owoeye and his family left Lagos, Nigeria, to seek better opportunities in Canada.
Growing up, Owoeye struggled to gain meaningful connections in his new environment.
But through basketball, he found both passion and community, becoming a key member of the MRU men’s basketball team.
Today, he hopes to be a role model for people of colour through his nursing career.
Owoeye spent the first few years of his life in Lagos. During this time, the group Boko Haram carried out attacks that contributed to widespread unrest across the country.
Early memories and loneliness
One of Owoeye’s earliest memories is walking home alone in the busy city of Lagos when he was still just a child.
“I don’t remember everything that happened, but somehow, a little kid in a crazy, busy city made it all the way from school home, and nothing happened,” Owoeye said.
Owoeye credits his family for their resilience and their decision to actively seek a better life in Canada. But when he first came, he found it difficult to integrate into Canadian society.
“Everyone around you are all kids and they can’t understand you, and you can’t understand them,” Owoeye said.
It was a long period of loneliness, when he felt as though he didn’t belong.
“When no one understands the culture you came from, it’s just fight or flight,” said Owoeye.
Building confidence on the court
It was Owoeye’s basketball journey that bridged that divide.
From his early years in Lagos, he was always an active child, but finding basketball in Grade 8 gave him the focus he needed. He spent hours honing his skills.
A growth spurt around this time also enabled his pursuit.
But starting late meant he had to work extra hard to close the gap with his peers.
“A lot of time in basketball, I ended up taking what I learned from videos and spending God knows how many hours in the YMCA. I would spend probably eight hours a day,” Owoeye said.
This level of commitment to his basketball journey led Owoeye to find a community that he cherishes to this day.
“That’s when I met my set of friends that I would call lifetime friends, because of my journey in the YMCA,” Owoeye said.
Owoeye’s drive and commitment to getting better have shone in the teams he has played for. His club basketball coach, Michael Myers, recognized these traits.
“His demeanour was professional from the start, which translated to being a dominant force on the court,” Myers said.
Owoeye’s progression eventually led him to the MRU men’s basketball team, where he has spent four years contributing to the team’s culture and success while pursuing a nursing degree.
Owoeye knows that the key to his self-confidence has always been basketball.
“Basketball has trained me to always believe in myself, even when nobody believes in me,” said Owoeye.
Looking ahead to a nursing career
Now he looks ahead to his nursing career, drawing on the foundation his parents laid as health professionals, to be an example for others.
“I would say the biggest thing that my parents helped me shape was my drive and ambition,” Owoeye said.
Balancing his basketball career with his pursuit of nursing was always going to be daunting.
Schedule conflicts between the two became difficult to navigate.
“It was a nightmare, but because I had so many understanding people around me— teachers, coaches – It made it possible,” said Owoeye.
For Owoeye, nursing is a way to make an impact on people’s lives. His parents are a big reason why he chose that path.
“I got to hear some of their experiences, and I realized that I was shaped that way to care for others,” Owoeye said.
But Owoeye’s pursuit of nursing doesn’t come only from the influence of his parents. He also has an innate desire to help others.
“I realize that I care more than others do. And that care was translated into compassion for caring for other individuals,” Owoeye said.
Owoeye looks to use his nursing career to be an example for other people of colour. Every day, he aims to be a person defined by his compassion, drive, ambition, and most importantly, resiliency.
“I implore Black people from any walk of life to learn what it is to be resilient,” said Owoeye. “Resiliency is not just an action— it’s a mindset, and it’s something that you can build.”