Nicole Nfonovim
Hey! I’m Nicole Nfonoyim, the Africana Community Coordinator in the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC). I grew up in New York and graduated from Swarthmore College right outside Philly in June 2008 with a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology and Latin American Studies. My senior thesis explored immigration, identity and culture within the Afro-Costa Rican community in Costa Rica and the ways in which race, specifically, concepts of “blackness” are constructed in Latin American and Caribbean contexts. I spent my year after graduation in Madrid, Spain as a Fulbright scholar working on a visual ethnography of African immigrants in the city while interning at a center for African immigrants (Centro Hispano-Africano) where I co-ran employment workshops for un/documented immigrants.

I’m passionate about coalition building, creative/productive approaches to activism as well as issues of identity, diasporas, migration and the intersectionality within and across different communities. Both on and off campus I was heavily involved in student activism, service and coalition building. My undergraduate years were spent working within the Africana student community at Swarthmore to build up our strong legacy and commitment to one another, but to also challenge and create new critical spaces in which to mark our diverse experiences.

I’m a big nerd and like to frequent libraries, bookstores and museums. I also like to think I can dance and have a slight obsession with dance shows on television where I pretend that I know better when all I can do is an occasional two step with a twist. At Swarthmore I studied Umfundalai technique of African dance and I had the opportunity to perform in a student dance company. I’m also prone to picking up random hobbies that I never quite perfect.

I am really excited to be joining the Africana community and the wider Oberlin community. I look forward to meeting you all and please feel free to drop in the MRC in Wilder 208!


email: Nicole.Nfonoyim@oberlin.edu

Africana Student Resources Pamphlet