Tomi Oluyamo
A message from one young person to another about courage, learning, service, faith, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.
You have sat in class wondering why learning feels much smaller than your curiosity.
You've been told what to learn, what success looks like, and what path to follow — but deep down, you're still asking questions no one seems to answer.
You want to explore your interests, solve problems, create things, or make a difference, but you're not sure where to begin.
This book was written for you.
Inside the book
To The Stars is a memoir, and a journey through conversations, reflections, lessons and the optimism of young people who chose to learn beyond what was expected of them. It is for students who want to understand themselves better, think more deeply about education, and discover what could be possible when learning extends beyond the classroom walls.
What happens when you dare to want something different? Meet young people who challenged assumptions, pursued opportunities no one around them was talking about, and learned how to move forward even when they didn't have everything figured out. They didn’t do this because they were fearless but because they had a conviction and were willing to begin.
Is schooling the same thing as learning? This section explores a question that changed everything for me. You'll encounter stories of curiosity, self-directed learning and discovery, and perhaps begin to rethink what it means to be educated in the first place.
What is the purpose of what we learn? Through the stories of young changemakers, you'll discover how learning can become a tool for solving problems, serving others, and contributing to something larger than yourself.
While some books tell you what to think, this one invites you to think for yourself. Throughout the journey, you'll encounter questions designed to help you examine your own experiences, ambitions, frustrations, and possibilities.
Many students believe extraordinary opportunities belong to people in extraordinary places. This book believes in something different: that meaningful learning can begin wherever you are, with whatever you have, if you are willing to engage with the world around you.
The goal of this book is not to make you admire the people in its pages. Rather, it is to help you recognise what is already possible in your own life — not someday, not when you have more resources, but now, right where you are.
About the Author
Author & Teacher
Encountering the concept of ‘conscientisation’ - that meaningful learning begins with an internalisation of one’s experiences - at 19 cemented what I began to ask at age 14… ‘Why am I being forced to memorise a script that is being handed down to me?’, ‘Will memorisation help me confront global challenges?’, ‘Who am I?’, ‘What is my place in the world?’, ‘How is what I am learning helping me to understand my roots, identity and bringing me closer to my aspirations?’, ‘Will memorisation help me become a kinder, disciplined and responsible human?’, ‘Is it worth learning at all if I can’t see its purpose? Are my grades a reflection of my intelligence?’, ‘Does my dissatisfaction with schooling mean laziness or does it point to something broken in the system?’
My questions were met with silence - from the helplessness, conformity and ignorance of my beautiful friends and family.
Originally asked because I wanted to attend Harvard - and these were the sorts of questions a typical college application essay would want you to answer, my daily Christian walk made me understand that whatever I learn and how I learn it goes beyond making me a mere doctor, lawyer, scientist or artist - especially as I believe in eternity.
The order of life (birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, death), the events that happen in between (decision-making, career, relationships) and the cosmological harmony of nature make me ponder over what holds it together, and what purpose it is meant to serve.
As I completed my memoir and interviewed my friends, I could only come to a logical conclusion: there must be something beyond my ordinary common sense that is guiding the affairs of my life.
In whatever I do, I like to go beyond the bare minimum, not excluding my studies. So, I decided. If whatever I am learning and how I am learning it - whether at school or beyond its walls - doesn’t point towards that extraordinary hand guiding my life, whatever or whoever it may be, I might as well be wasting my time… and a good chunk of my school fees - the one dad and mum labour for.
I encourage you to join me in confronting these questions and figuring out what that extraordinary hand is by purchasing a copy… for yourself, or a young person.
Long before you ever took shape, your life was already known in full. Every day you would live and study - every moment, every turning point - had already been thoughtfully crafted. You weren’t an accident; you were known, understood, and intentionally formed even before your first breath.
I am very particular about the next generation because many seem lost.
If we don’t act together, and now, my younger siblings, your children, your brother, sister, niece or nephew would ask us why we didn’t fight for their future by telling them the truth.
Contributors
From attending a school my friends and family had never heard of, to taking two gap years before finishing university, my journey has been far from linear. I hope my small part of this wonderful book imparts some of that courage onto you.
God’sFavour Oluwanusin
Helping ambitious students from less advantaged backgrounds rise to their talent.
I know what it means to be looked down upon. I’ve wrestled with questions I still don't have answers to. If there's one thing I hope my story says, it's that you matter and the only path to progress, not perfection, is to keep moving.
John Ogunjide
Bringing out the leader in youths society has overlooked
I didn’t wait to be invited to the biggest stage or for someone to tell me my ideas made sense before solving problems that matter the most to me. And through my contribution, that’s what I want you to remember, everyday.
Zulu Uwolloh
Teaching young people how to create change with what they have.
I find learning easier when I understand the principles behind it and not being given the results to memorise. Whether by formulating my own scientific principles or understanding the lessons from a previous experience to gain wisdom that gets me through life’s next phase, my voice in To The Stars presents an alternative path to learning that makes you grow and fulfill destiny.
Alfa Saleh
Creating spaces for talent - common or weird - to grow
A Final Thought
Years ago, I thought the answers I was looking for lived somewhere far away.
A different school. A different country. A different opportunity.
Over time, I discovered that while places matter, the most important questions dwell in us.
Who am I?
What do I care about?
What problems do I want to solve?
What kind of life am I trying to build?
More profoundly, I realised that the questions were being asked on a weak foundation, in terms of, “what am I building?”, instead of, “to what am I building?”
To The Stars is an invitation to explore those questions for yourself. And perhaps, along the way, discover just how far this question can take you.
Early praise
“I've recommended many books to students over the years. This is the one I'll recommend twice — and give to every student I care about.”
Gabriel Bamisaye
School Principal
Pick up your copy of To The Stars and start exploring what learning can really look like.
Available in paperback and e-book.
To The Stars is written for secondary school students — particularly those who feel curious about learning beyond the classroom, who are searching for direction, or who want to understand how to make the most of their educational experience.