Meet 2024 Graduate Osaya Sule

Osayande “Osaya” Sule is a student leader, a top-ranked runner, and a talented scholar. He is from Minocqua, WI, and attended Wayland Academy as a four-year boarding student. Osaya graduated this spring, and plans on attending the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in the fall. 

While at Wayland, Osaya served as the Student Council President and was very involved in Big Red athletics. Over the years, he participated in a variety of sports ranging from soccer to powerlifting. Notably, he served as the football captain in Big Red’s first year back on the field. However, of all the sports he’s played, one holds a special place in his heart: track. 

“Track is a sport where you can take yourself to the next level. If you don’t have space to run, there’s always a track down the block. You can take it into your own hands and train for yourself; you’re given a lot of self-agency.”  

Osaya had a great track season this year, to say the least. He broke not one, but three school records. He broke the 100M dash record with a time of 10.74, breaking the record of 10.9 set by Adrian Dragu `92 in 1991 and matched by Kofi Sampong `06 in 2006. Osaya also broke the 400M dash record with a time of 51.64 and the 200M dash record with a time of 22.17. The 400M dash (51.95, set in 2004) and the 200M dash (22.28, set in 2003) records were originally set by Darren Cole `04, a 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. 

“I really have my goals set higher than those school records. When I broke those, it was just another building block towards my personal goals. You can absolutely set those records as your goals, but you’re more likely to get them if you shoot higher.” 

Osaya’s primary goal this year was doing well at the state competition. He finished 6th place in the 100M Dash and 4th place in the 200M Dash at the WIAA State Championship, capping off his time as a Big Red athlete with three school records and two state medals. 

Osaya hopes to continue his track career at UPenn, where he received an early decision acceptance. While running track could be a great experience, Osaya is primarily interested in their business program, currently ranked #1 in the country by Niche and U.S. News & World Report. 

He was unsure of where he planned on applying to college until he received a call from his cousin, a UPenn student herself. She knew Osaya’s interest in studying business in college and thought UPenn could be a great fit. 

Although the application deadline was quickly approaching, Osaya was determined to submit a quality application. Several months after his application was submitted, Osaya found out he would be studying Business and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at UPenn this fall. 

Although Osaya is moving on to his next adventure, he will carry the memories Wayland has instilled within him. One of many favorites includes, “. . . a time in Glen Dye last year when we stayed up all night long watching movies. We just talked all night long, literally until 8 am. Believe it or not, we did get permission from our dorm head.” 

Osaya leaves our school knowing he is truly Wayland Made. 

“Being Wayland Made means being able to defy the odds; no matter the resources you’re given, you have the drive to accomplish what you set out to do.”