Meet Dawn and Osaro Ighodaro

May 2024 · 3 minute read

Oso Ighodaro’s parents, Dawn and Osaro Ighodaro, are educators. Dawn and Osaro have continuously worked in and around Phoenix, Arizona, for years.

The 6’11 forward from Marquette University gets his love for basketball from his dad, Osaro, a former professional player. His dad also holds a doctorate, and his sister previously worked for Morgan Stanley. 

So, the youngster comes from a high-achieving family. And Oso hasn’t let his family down on the basketball court. Since he joined Marquette in 2020, Oso has always found a place in the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.

Considered one of the best players at his university, Oso is predicted to be a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by Sports Illustrated.

Recently, Oso was featured alongside freshman Al Amadou in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, with Oso being a guide to the youngster. 

Oso Ighodaro Parents: Meet Dawn and Osaro Ighodaro

Oso Ighodaro’s parents Dawn and Osaro Ighodaro, have kept themselves out of the public limelight. The couple hasn’t done a single interview with any media outlets. 

Osaro Ighodaro and his wife, Dawn Ighodaro, are both educators. Oso’s father, Osaro Ighodaro, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northern Arizona University in 1990 and 1992. 

In his time at NAU, Osaro also played collegiate basketball and later played professionally in Belgium. Later, Osaro continued his studies and earned his doctorate from NAU in Political Science. 

After deciding basketball wasn’t for him, Osaro joined Scottsdale Community College as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs. He worked at Scottsdale for two years before joining Glendale Community College in the same position. 

In 2012, Osaro became Vice President of Student Affairs at South Mountain Community College. He worked there for 11 years and only left the job earlier this year in June. 

Oso’s mom, Dawn Ighodaro, graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Health and Physical Education. Until 2021, Dawn worked at Summit School of Ahwatukee as a Director of Admissions and Marketing and later as an After School Administrator. 

She worked at Summit School of Ahwatukee for 23 years, and during this time, Dawn also worked as an Education Specialist in and around Phoenix. 

Currently, Dawn works at three different places, taking up various roles. She is a Development Assistant at Espanola Humane, a Podcast Coordinator at House of Shine, and an Operations Consultant at Carlo Rockmore LLC. 

Unlike her husband, Dawn is available on social media but rarely shares posts on her Facebook account. Her last post is of Oso lifting the Big East Championship trophy won by the team in March.

Oso Ighodaro Siblings: Meet Sister Osaso Ighodaro 

Oso Ighodaro isn’t the only child of his parents; he has an older sister in Osaso Ighodaro. Unlike his brother, Osaso wasn’t influenced by her father’s time as a basketball player and chose a different career route. 

Osaso completed her education at Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. In 2021, Osaso graduated summa cum laude and also earned a B.S. in finance and economics. 

While at Eller, Osaso was an honors student, a member of Pi Beta Phi, and in the Investments Club. In a Facebook post shared by Eller in 2018, Osaso was also said to be pursuing a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Sports Marketing or Global Business.

At Eller, Osaso worked two jobs on campus, having worked for the Dean’s Office in the College of Humanities as a front desk assistant and as a Campus Manager for University Tees.

After graduation, Osaso worked as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in the Global Industrials Group. She currently works for AEA Investors, the American middle market private equity firm. 

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