UL graduate has global ambition to make the world a better place for marginalised communities

A new doctoral graduate from University of Limerick has set out on a ‘personal mission’ to have a positive impact on marginalised communities.

Dr Mamobo Ogoro, the founder and CEO of GORM, a social enterprise with a global ambition, celebrated her graduation this week from UL.

The multi-award-winning social entrepreneur and Newstalk podcast presenter was one of over 2,000 to graduate at UL’s Winter Conferring Ceremonies where she was conferred with a PhD in Social Psychology and Applied Linguistics from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. 

The Nigerian born, Wexford raised scholar, whose work is dedicated to advancing belonging for marginalised communities across Ireland, described her graduation as a ‘full circle moment’ following over a decade of study at UL.

Fuelled by her academic research on multicultural identities, discrimination and inclusivity, as well as her personal experiences as a Nigerian-Irish woman, Mamobo is on a mission to unify the world across differences.

“Growing up in Ireland with a dual identity, I always had to navigate two different worlds. I was too much of a migrant. I was too black. I wasn’t Irish enough. 

 “These conflicts made me question myself and I constantly asked myself, where do I belong? 

“Now, after many years of academic research into understanding why people are prejudiced, I’m on a personal mission to unify the world across differences to create cultures of belonging.”

The ambitious social psychologist arrived at UL as an undergraduate student at the age of 17 in 2013 and fondly describes herself as a ‘UL lifer’ having completed her undergraduate, master’s and now PhD in succession at UL. 

It was while she was pursuing her PhD studies that she was inspired to set up GORM, a social enterprise which Mamobo co-founded with Beatriz Gómez Moreno, a graduate of UL’s MSc Global-MINDS. 

Led by Mamobo’s academic research, GORM aims to combat prejudice and spark a movement of belonging to unify the world. 

“What started as a student project became a movement. 

“That student project is now a multi-award-winning social enterprise, working with organisations and communities across Ireland to design belonging on purpose, not by accident. 

“Through consultancy, education and community-led programmes, we’re doing the work I once only imagined on a PowerPoint slide, and since developing Ireland’s first initiative focused on building intercultural competence in the workplace, we have trained over 4,000 professionals.

“This journey has taught me to never underestimate the power of self-belief and perseverance. Sometimes what you start in a classroom can end of up changing the world, one community at a time.”

Mamobo credits UL with helping her to discover her true self and as she celebrates the hard work, dedication and determination it took to complete her PhD, she is ‘extremely proud’ of not only what she has achieved but also of the person she has become. 

“UL has created the playground for self-discovery, and I discovered who I was at UL. It was one of the first places that I found a community outside of my own family.

“UL helped nurture me into adulthood and has been instrumental in helping me to discover my interests as a scholar and to grow into the researcher, the social entrepreneur and the woman that I am today.”

Mamobo was the first recipient of the UL University of Sanctuary PhD Scholarship, and while completing her PhD, Mamobo also supported the administration of the University of Sanctuary Programme, assisting over 50 refugees and asylum seekers to access third-level education. 

Her PhD, which was supervised by Professor Mairead Moriarty from UL’s School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics and Dr Anca Minescu from UL’s Department of Psychology, investigated how systems of inclusion and exclusion affect migrant communities and their sense of belonging to Ireland. 

Mamobo’s family moved from Nigeria to Ireland when she was just three years old and made their home in Enniscorthy in Wexford. 

She describes herself as curious child who was always asking questions. 

It was that sense of curiosity that made Mamobo the perfect fit for UL’s first large-scale award-winning marketing campaign, ‘Stay Curious’, that celebrated the spirit of curiosity.

“As a child, I was always curious, I was always asking why. UL really helped me foster this sense of curiosity; asking questions and having ways that I could answer those questions.”

From a young age, Mamobo was encouraged to use her voice and speaks fondly of her mother, a pastor, who she credits with giving her the confidence to speak publicly. 

Now in her capacity as CEO of GORM and host of Newstalk’s ‘Younified’ podcast, Mamobo aims to bring her message of belonging to the masses.

As she graduates with a global ambition to make the world a better place for marginalised and minority communities, the future is bright for the UL scholar who has been recognised nationally and internationally for her dedication to elevating minority voices and enabling marginalised communities to tell their stories. 

Mamobo was the first recipient to receive the ‘Changemaker’ Category award under Visa’s She’s Next Programme in Ireland and amongst her many accolades is a Humanity in Action Democracy Fellowship, which supports diverse changemakers.

In 2024, Mamobo became the first person in Ireland to receive the Echoing Green Fellowship, which is awarded to transformational leaders who are driving creative and impactful solutions to the world’s most urgent problems. She follows in the footsteps of an extraordinary community of leaders, including Michelle Obama and Van Jones. 

As she prepares to turn 30 later this year, Mamobo’s ambition for the future is clear. 

“Belonging is not just a feeling, it is built by design, and I’m ready to step on the global stage, supporting organisations, institutions and the communities they serve to unify across differences.”