SAN ANTONIO – From Minnesota to Nigeria to London to the United States Army, Praise Onabanjo has immense world experience. And, as a current Texas A&M-San Antonio student, she is using it to work at a local corrections facility and soon help her brothers and sisters in arms.
“I love to protect people and I love to serve,” Praise Onabanjo said.
“I moved back to Nigeria before my family, then moved to London. Then, I moved to the United States,” Onabanjo said.
Once back in the U.S., Onabanjo joined the military, which brought her to Texas and then to Texas A&M-San Antonio.
“I moved back to the U.S. because my mom felt it was a good opportunity for me because I was born here. And I always had a passion for studying law. And she was like, ‘Yeah, like you would do really good with law in the U.S,’” Onabanjo said. “When the Army moved me to San Antonio, I was like, ‘Oh, well, they have a university here that I was definitely going to attend.”
When Praise isn’t in class or at ROTC or studying, she has a very unique job.
“I’m a correctional officer at the men’s prison in Hondo,” Onabanjo said.
Praise is motivated and kind, but obviously when she is at work at the prison, it’s all business.
“Oh, there’s always crazy situations. Always. Every time it’s a men’s prison, it’s not a maximum security, but it’s the fourth level. So we we do have some, you know, wild experiences over there where you have to pepper spray, tackle someone down to the ground,” Onabanjo said.
Praise says with all the first-hand experience, there are some things that jump out to her.
“In the United States, kids tend to take a lot of things for granted. I said, where I grew up, where I’m from in Nigeria, kids don’t have access to all these things. So if you do have it and you’re getting it for free, how about you appreciate it?” Onabanjo said.
It’s that combination of perspective, experience and persistence that others say makes the sky the limit for her.
“I think she’s going to go on to do great things,” Professor Joseph Gay, a teacher at Texas A&M-San Antonio said.
Gay said that she is ready to take on any challenge. And that next challenge?
She wants to be in JAG.
“I’m already in the Army. And I realized, ‘Oh, well, the Army has a law firm. Okay, I want to join them.’ I want to be part of the number one law firm in the world. I want to defend and protect my soldiers, because everyone needs to be defended at some point,” Onabanjo said.
And Praise has some advice for anyone willing to listen.
“If you have a goal, go for it,” she said.