Abstract
This study examines the cultural influences in school success as perceived by Nigerian voluntary immigrant parents and their adult children. The participants of this qualitative research credited their successes in education and in life to an African philosophy known as omolúàbí: the way of human being. The participants consistently expressed this worldview during the interviews without being prompted. Omolúàbí (Yorùbá origin, can serve as a noun as well as an adjective) connotes respect for self and others. An Omolúàbí is a person of honor who believes in hard work, respects the rights of others, and gives to the community in deeds and in action. Above all, an Omolúàbí is a person of personal integrity. We can also define an Omolúàbí as one who is dedicated to the service of a just community and is dedicate self-actualization. More importantly, the concept of Omolúàbí encapsulates or distils the Yorùbá sense of the critical elements in the positive essences of a total/holistic self and being. A paragon of existence that is measureable across a wide spectrum in the unlimited dimensions of life and existence. Reprinted by permission