How two university students are rewriting the playbook on leadership, athletics, and community, proving that the drive to build a better future starts now.

*Adesewa Ige (left) and Yetunde Ige (right)*

It’s a familiar scene: a university common area buzzing with anxious first-year students. For most, the goal is simply to survive the semester. But for a select few, the campus isn't just a place to learn, it's a place to build.

In the 2023-24 academic year, a group of students at the University of Saskatchewan saw a gap in the community and decided to fill it. Among them were sisters Adesewa and Yetunde Ige. In January 2024, they helped launch the Black Student Mentorship Association (BSMA), a vital step toward creating a community where Black students could thrive with guidance from professionals in medicine, law, academia, and beyond. Adesewa has since taken on the role of Social Media Director, organizing events and sparking student engagement.

“We saw an opportunity to create a space,” one of the co-founders explains. “A space where Black students could connect, feel seen, and be guided by those who've walked the path before them. It’s about building a legacy of support from day one.”

For the Ige sisters, this drive is built on a foundation of intense discipline, exemplified by Adesewa’s formidable athletic career. Her journey began with taekwondo at age four, followed by competitive basketball at nine and volleyball at twelve. At Melfort Unit Comprehensive Collegiate, she was a dominant force, serving as team captain in both sports and competing in badminton at the regional level. Her high school career was capped by earning coveted spots in both the Miss Saskatchewan Basketball Showcase, which selects only 24 of the province's best athletes, and the prestigious Senior Classic for graduating all-stars. Today, that passion hasn't waned, as she continues to compete in co-ed basketball and volleyball leagues at the university level.

The question, of course, is how a full-time student can help found a campus organization, excel in multiple sports, and maintain high academic performance. For Adesewa, the answer began at age fourteen with her first part-time job.

“Working from a young age taught me time management before I even knew what it was,” she reflects. “The money was a great incentive, but the real reward was the structure it gave me.”

That structure is built on a simple philosophy of being fully present. “Juggling it all wasn't as hard as it sounds because nothing ever felt like a burden,” she says. “If I dedicate time to studying, I am 100% focused on that. No distractions. That way, when I’m on the court or planning an event, I can be fully present there, too.”

Perhaps her most crucial strategy, however, has little to do with calendars and everything to do with people. “I keep people with a similar drive around me,” she states. “You need a circle that will keep you motivated, not drag you down. Your energy feeds off theirs, and theirs off yours.”

This is the dual threat the Ige sisters represent. They are athletes and advocates, competitors and community-builders, proving that the leadership required on the court, communication, strategy, and a shared goal, is the same leadership needed to build an organization from the ground up. In a world that often asks young people to pick a lane, they are proving you can build your own highway. They aren't waiting for the future to happen, they are its builders, drawing up the blueprints right now.

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Two sisters, One Target

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