UK Football’s Abadi-Fitzgerald Finds Community in the Big Blue Nation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 12, 2021) — Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald came to the U.S. from Nigeria when he was only 12 years old. He arrived in Lakeland, Florida, where he found his adoptive family, as well as a love for football. His athletic passions led him to the University of Kentucky where he found his other family — the Big Blue Nation. Abadi-Fitzgerald graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in human communication from the College of Communication and Information. He now aspires to be a role model for his family in Nigeria. As he begins his final football season as a Wildcat, he is also making an appearance in the UK 2021 institutional spot.
Watch the video above to learn more about why Abadi-Fitzgerald fell in love with UK and discover how his journey to the United States from his home in Nigeria eventually led him to be a member of the Wildcat family.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.