It was curiosity about design, and about how all of the different pieces fit together, that led a 16-year-old Toluwani Ayeni to create his first architectural sketch while watching his father build a house. That curiosity would soon lead to an opportunity.
Seven years later, with several twists and turns along the way, the native of Lagos, Nigeria, is a senior in the College of Art and Architecture (CAA), majoring in interior architecture and design (IAD).
He came to the U.S. wanting to find a way to combine all of his interests into a career. He now looks to enter the hospitality industry to make his dream come true.
“Hospitality is about generosity, creativity, leadership and vision – all of which Toluwani possesses,” said U of I IAD Professor Rula Awwad-Rafferty, who played a prominent role in Ayeni becoming a Vandal. “Additionally, Toluwani has weaved his background and culture into earning his degree in interior architecture and design. He has remained true to his goals and values throughout his time here.”
Traveling man
Creativity has been a passion of Ayeni’s for as long as he can remember. But not even he could have imagined the sequence of events that led him to Moscow.
He came to the U.S. in 2017 and started college at Washington State University that fall. He ran into financial issues after one semester, which led him to leave school. He then transferred to Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) in Pullman where he completed an associate degree in architecture.
While working in Pullman and trying to figure out how to get back into a four-year program in architecture, he spoke to the SFCC dean of students about his situation. The dean offered to introduce him to a neighbor of his who he thought might be helpful – Awwad-Rafferty.
It was really challenging because there wasn’t much information about it out there. He really had to dig to find out about it. I think one of the fantastic things about Toluwani is that all you have to do is give him a little bit of an idea and he will dive right in.
Miranda Anderson
IAD program director
The two connected and Awwad-Rafferty gave Ayeni a campus tour, including an in-depth look in the CAA buildings. The program was everything Ayeni hoped for. After working in Pullman a little while longer to save money, and to allow Awwad-Rafferty time to speak to other U of I employees about Ayeni’s situation, he enrolled and began at U of I in Fall ’21.
“I was an international student a long time ago and I think that allowed us to develop a cultural connection,” Awwad-Rafferty said. “We were able to find an opportunity for Toluwani to become a student here but ultimately he was the one that had to work hard in his classes and earn his place.”
He has certainly done that. Carrying a 3.75 GPA into his senior year, he was nominated by Awwad-Rafferty for the 2024 CAA Alumni Award for Excellence due to experiences like serving as a CAA ambassador, member of the CAA student congress, student mentor and liaison to the Dean’s Office.
He also secured two scholarships from NEWH, an international non-profit organization for the hospitality industry. Those funds helped him pay not only for college, but also to live in the Boston area during summer break in 2023 while interning for Parker-Torres Design, an international interior design and interior architecture firm specializing in hospitality design for the hotel industry.
“I started off doing administrative work, but by the end of my time there, I was working on plans for clients and was even involved in material selection and recommendations for proposals,” Ayeni said. “It was a wonderful experience to see how much work and research goes into a project.”
Diving deep
Research is one of Ayeni’s passions. He proved that early in his college career.
In his first-year studio with IAD Program Director Miranda Anderson, Ayeni again showed his penchant for curiosity.
The exercise was for each student to select a cultural pattern or motif from another country, research its history and come up with different ways to showcase it. Coming from Africa, it would have been easy for Ayeni to choose something close to his homeland – something familiar. He chose a different route.
“He chose a pattern from Siberia,” Anderson said. “It was really challenging because there wasn’t much information about it out there. He really had to dig to find out about it. I think one of the fantastic things about Toluwani is that all you have to do is give him a little bit of an idea and he will dive right in.”
Another passion of Ayeni’s is green design and sustainability. During his Fall ’23 studio, students were asked to think about ideas related to adaptive reuse – the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for.
Ayeni created a proposal to turn a vacant office building in San Jose, California, into a sustainable hotel for business travelers, complete with small business centers in each room.
“This was a project where he was really innovative with his thinking and asked himself ‘what would be helpful here’ and ‘how could this work?’,” Anderson said. “He looked at the city, the airport, public transportation – he put in a lot of thought behind it.”
After graduation, Ayeni’s current thought is about spatial design and the idea of combining performance art, stage design, film and/or photography. He wants to create an experience that allows people to escape and enjoy the moment.
There’s no question he has enjoyed all of his moments at U of I.
“The fact that I was able to attend this school – I’ve learned so many skills, been exposed to so many ideas and have gained the confidence to try things,” he said. “I never thought this would have been possible – that I could have done the things I’ve accomplished. I’m very grateful.”