Building the Nurses of Tomorrow at UTA Libraries: Olamide Daramola

Olamide Daramola came to the University of Texas at Arlington to get a world-class nursing education. What he got in his job at UTA Libraries was incomparable professional training he will carry into his future.

Daramola, a senior graduating in December 2019, has worked as a Research Coach for UTA Libraries for almost two years. Research Coaches are UTA students trained to offer peer-to-peer help for students seeking individualized assistance with their research and course assignments. They help frame research questions, develop search strategies, understand citation styles, and select and evaluate relevant resources.

Daramola says he took the job at the recommendation of a friend and never looked back.

“For me, it’s the people,” Daramola said. “It’s the clients I get to help every day, with varying levels of knowledge and skill. It sometimes can be challenging when I don’t know the answer, but it pushes me to get the answer and learn for the future.”

When those challenges arise, Daramola knows he has the support of his leadership.

“The supervisors are wonderful,” Daramola said. “They give us a sense of love, like someone is out there looking out for us.”

While the connection between his work as a Research Coach and his career as a nurse might not be obvious, Daramola says the Libraries is an excellent learning environment for critical professional skills he will take into his future.

“This job has been a really great place to build critical thinking skills, which you need as a nurse,” Daramola said. “Different people from different backgrounds come with different questions asked in different ways. Relating that to clinicals, different patients have different needs at different times.

“It is a blessing to be able to figure out what others need and know how to help them, and my job in the Libraries has helped me develop that skill.”

Daramola was also a recipient of the Libraries’ Student Leadership Scholarship award in 2018—an honor he didn’t see coming.

“I never thought I was going to get that,” he said. “I was a just a couple of semesters into the job. But my bosses helped me realize the skills I had gained at that time—as well as the ones I had brought into the job that I didn’t know I had.”

Daramola recommends working at UTA Libraries to his fellow students because of the flexibility as well as invaluable knowledge gained on the job.

“Every supervisor understands that you are a student first,” Daramola said. “And the skills you learn—critical thinking, great customer service—you can only get them at the Libraries.”

Daramola suggests taking advantage of training sessions when starting a new Libraries job.

“Ask as many questions as you can—no question is dumb,” Daramola said. “Seek advice from those who are also at the job, and bring any concerns to your supervisor. They are always willing to help.”

As Daramola prepared to walk the stage and begin his career as a nurse, he thanked his fellow student workers, his supervisors, and every librarian and staff member of UTA Libraries.

“They have all shaped the nurse I am going to become, whether they know it or not,” he said. “I am so grateful for every opportunity to learn and grow I’ve been given.”

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UTA Libraries is proud to support student workers like Olamide as they work toward their futures beyond college. To see what student positions are available, look for UTA Libraries on Handshake.