Entering as a freshman into Kennesaw Mountain was one of the hardest transitions I could think of. Since I started my school career I never went to the school I was districted for which made it hard for me to make friends at the new schools I went to because they were never the same kids, but in high school, this feeling was multiplied tenfold. One thing I assumed about high school was that I was going to be on my own and everything was on me, and for the most part, that statement wasn’t wrong. Kennesaw Mountain made me realize that I was responsible for my education and that I wasn’t going to have my hand held through the 4 years I was there. And I’m grateful for this because I know how to not only be an independent young man but also learned how to effectively advocate for my education, which has led me to many successes. I always knew that I wanted to go into engineering but there were so many fields my head was clouded when it came to choosing just one and the chaos was almost unbearable thanks to the Magnet Program, Mrs. Petrina Baxter, and Mr. Rex Kienel I was able to gain a little more focus on the field I wanted. In their class, each magnet freshman needed to participate in the Georgia Tech K-12 Inventure Prize. In this competition, groups of 2-3 kids are tasked with brainstorming a product and making it to present it to a group of judges. My group and I were able to come up with an idea; a backpack tailored for athletes that would absorb the sweat off their clothes and gear to promote their health and well-being. The idea part would prove to be the easiest. We were able to build our original design and we thought for a fact that we were in the clear but after testing our design we still had a long way to go. We ended up going through about 5 designs and we finally got it right. Afterward, we submitted the design to the judges and became finalists. This project showed me that I not only love to design contraptions but also create physical models of them. This allowed me to hone in on the fields of engineering I wanted to focus on: Civil and Mechanical. After exploring more career options in the STEM field I have decided that I will major in Computer Science. Computer Science allows me to use my imagination and creativity to create tangible products for myself, and the vast and fast-paced world of computer science and the new possibilities in technological advancement and creation continue to interest me every day. A college education would allow me to make my interest in my career and it would open up the door to the field and allow me to fully indulge myself in my biggest dream. While in college I plan on joining the Black Student Union to give back to my community the way they have given back to me through various service projects and networking experiences. And after college when I have fully entered the computer science field I want to create a pipeline program that helps introduce the field of Computer Science to African-American youth and help them matriculate into college programs where they can further explore the field. Kennesaw Mountain High School has given me so many experiences, friends, and life lessons that I will take with me to college and beyond. It has been amazing being part of this community of people.

During my freshman year of high school, the students in the magnet program had a choice to participate in the school science fair or the Georgia Institute of Technology’s K-12 Inventure Prize. The K-12 Inventure Prize is a competition that challenges students to identify real-world problems and design novel solutions through analysis, creativity, and the scientific method. So a group of students and I identified a problem that we deal with as athletes: Sweat. After practices, athletes have sweaty clothing and gear that infiltrates their bags. Those germs from their sweat cause sickness and dirt to just spread as it, please. To combat this my group and I came up with an idea known as the Sweat-Pack. The Sweat-Pack was a backpack that was lined on the inside with microfiber mesh that would absorb sweat and grime. After we submitted our idea to a panel of judges our group was selected as finalists and we competed on the Georgia Tech Stage. This project ignited a flame under me which turned into a love for engineering and the design process which allowed me to create anything that came into my mind it also allowed for creative freedom in my designs. Of all the things that I am passionate about there is one particular issue that has not only positively affected me the most but could have also negatively impacted me the most. And that issue is educational disparities and inequities for African Americans. I have been very fortunate to have been provided with the resources and support systems from my family, teachers, and peers that have allowed me to become an exceptional and high-performing student, because of that, I have had a plethora of opportunities open to me that will aid in making sure that my future will be one of success and abundance. But I could have easily been in a situation the complete opposite of the one I am in right now. For example, a study done in 2018 shows us that 15.5% of public school students were African American but of those schools, they made up about 39% of the suspended students. What we need to combat this is a School Support Program in each state that can be fully funded enough to support the shools that are underperforming. The first step is renovation, to solve the education barrier we have to start with the root of the problem which is making sure schools are getting enough money to refurbish their campus and materials. The next step is introducing outside activities and programs to students to make sure they are involved in activities that can foster positive growth in their academic journeys. Another step in that process is going to each student and making sure we address their personal needs because every student is different and what they need to succeed will differ.

Mr.Bong, Anemone, Nemo, Ekemabong, and Ikimini are a few of the many names that have been used in an attempt to say my name. I was born to Nigerian immigrants which meant that I grow up as the typical African-American. Our norms were different we ate mostly cultural foods (though my Mom would put a twist to our cuisine and call it “Nigerian American fusion”), we listened to Nigerian music, and on culture day at school, we wore our cultural clothes. Even though this seems interesting and enjoyable, as a kid these were the very things I was bullied for during my elementary and middle school years. But the one thing that brought me comfort and solace through this difficult period in my life was my imagination. Throughout my life, I have enjoyed using my imagination and creativity to create tangible products for myself. I remember in elementary school playing the Ben 10 Game Creator. Being able to make my levels in a video game sparked a flame in my younger self that couldn’t be extinguished. Instead, it grew and blazed in a heat that would consume the rest of my life. Years later, I would be introduced to Code.org, where participating in their Hour of Code soon became a ceremonial activity in my life. Later, I found the coding languages HTML and CSS in my middle school technology class. At that moment, my technology teacher opened my eyes to the vast possibilities that Computer Programming had to offer me. By high school, I had been accepted into Google’s Code Next Program, where I built upon my coding knowledge, creating games and learning new languages that I could add to my arsenal. And in my junior and senior years, I attempted to make a real-life J.A.R.V.I.S virtual assistant. I have been fortunate enough to have been accepted into Georgia State University's Honors College, where I will be majoring in Computer Science. While in college. I will be participating in Georgia State's Dual Degree Program, which will allow me to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's in Computer Science in 5-6 years. With both of these degrees, I would have launched myself into new opportunities in Computer Science. After college, I would like to work for a company like Google or Microsoft to build my resume and reservoir of knowledge. And with this new reservoir of knowledge, I can introduce the Computer Science field to other young inspiring minds so that I can foster growth not only in the field but the world as well. I can do this by creating my summer coding classes and programs. Following that, after a couple of years, I would like to start my own tech company that focuses on providing Information Technology contracts to minorities with Computer Science Degrees to increase the diversity of the field and provide some of the same resources I was fortunate to be given during the time I have spent in my career.