Adepoju Arogundande ’25 has secured a fellowship to live, work, and study for a year in Germany after graduation. He will explore the issue of sustainable transport in the country as part of a program run jointly by the US Congress and Germany’s Bundestag.
“Germany is my model for sustainability,” said the earth and oceanographic science and environmental studies double major.
He particularly admires how the country has prioritized its transportation policy, creating an “extensive rail network that aims to connect Germans by reducing domestic flights and carbon emissions.”
Later this summer, Arogundande heads to Germany as a “young ambassador” sponsored by the Congress-Bundestag Young Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals. The program annually provides fellowships for sixty-five young professionals from Germany and the US, enabling them to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion experience. This year there were more than 400 applicants.
“The study phase of the program will transform me from a cultural ambassador to a climate ambassador,” said Arogundande, who is no stranger to living in Europe, having spent a semester of his junior year in Denmark.
On arrival in Germany, he will undergo two months of intensive language school, a semester of classes at a German university, and a five-month internship in transportation and urban planning.
“I want to be a part of a country that aims to electrify 75 percent of the rail network and implement one million electric vehicle charging stations by 2030. Germany, like America, has an extensive history with the automotive industry and is taking strides to be a pioneer in electrification.” Arogundande, who has successfully interned with both state and federal transportation departments, said his interest in the sector is spurred by his desire to combat climate change and urban sprawl.
“The transportation sector remains the highest CO2 emitter in the US,” he explained. “We must search for ways to electrify our fleets, plan efficient routes for freight trucks, and encourage mass transit.”
His longer-term plans involve a career in urban planning with a view to “creating equitable policy decisions for disadvantaged communities. As a planner,” he said, “it will be exciting to collaborate with international architects and engineers to spearhead new technologies that move nations as globalization increasingly connects us.”
Arogundande plans to pursue other interests too during his time in Germany. Captain of Bowdoin’s track and field team and a keen soccer player, he also loves to create music and wants to use his interests in sports and beat-making as cultural bridges. “As a collegiate athlete, I can volunteer with youth soccer clubs, referee games, and share the importance of Black representation in the Bundesliga.” On the musical front, Arogundande hopes to produce rap beats with local musicians and learn about German influence on African American music.
Arogundande is also a video artist—he’s made more than 160 YouTube videos on college life, travel, sports, and music—and plans to document much of his fellowship experience through the creation of engaging videos to share with family, friends, and followers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Check out this video produced by Arogundande on climate change and transportation in New York City.
