Oluwatope Fashola graduated from the University of Washington with a double degree in American Ethnic Studies and Sociology with Distinction in 2004. Upon entering the University of Washington in 2001, Oluwatope Fashola began volunteering as a research assistant for the qualitative University of Washington Study of Undergraduate Learning (UWSOUL) project. Research presentations for this project include the 2002 and 2003 University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium, as well as the University of Washington 2002, 2003, and 2004 Institute for Teaching Excellence. Simultaneously, Oluwatope Fashola received a Mary Gates Research grant for these years along with the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program grant and McNair Presidential grant. In 2003, Oluwatope begain working for the Center for Curriculum Transformation “Learning We Need Now” project which ultimately created a human rights minor, the Social Research Development Group (SDRG), and the Beyond High School Research project with Prof. Charles Hirschman. She has presented her research for these projects at University of California Irvine’s 2003 Southern California Conference on Undergraduate Research, the University of Oregon, and the 2003 and 2004 McNair. Oluwatope’s publications include “Attitudes About Diversity: 2001 Interviews” with Catharine Beyer, “Is there a Burden of “Acting White” Keeping African American Students from Academic Success?”

Currently with a minor in research methods, Oluwatope is a recipient of the McNair Graduate Fellowship, the Indiana University Graduate Merit Grant, and a Disciplinary Based Studies in Education. She is currently working with Donna Eder to identify the differences between urban and rural youth and critical thinking incorporation within education. Finally, her 2006 Masters thesis was entitled "Something New? The Effects