Meet Ivory Okeke
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Obianuju Ivory Okeke, and I am from Nigeria. I am currently studying for my master’s degree and will be graduating from the Department of Business Information Systems at UA Little Rock.
What was your inspiration for joining COSMOS?
COSMOS is a research lab that prioritizes people, exciting ideas, and discovering novel methods of answering questions. I decided to join COSMOS because I wanted to stretch my programming capabilities, learn new technologies, and apply my knowledge to software and research.
How has COSMOS helped in your journey?
The COSMOS research lab exceeded my expectations when I first joined in 2021.
Before joining the COSMOS research lab, I had an unstructured approach to problem-solving. Also, I needed to learn how to integrate software engineering into solving research problems. With the skills I have gained from working in COSMOS, I have learned how to apply my engineering capabilities better and now approach problem-solving more efficiently. Since joining COSMOS, I have grown as a software engineer and devoted myself to research.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan to work in the tech industry as a software engineer. This is very exciting for me as I look forward to applying all I have learned as a graduate assistant at COSMOS and as a graduate of the Business Information Systems department.
What is your fondest memory as a cosmographer?
I have been blessed to have several fond memories from COSMOS, but my most memorable was having the paper I worked on with my team at COSMOS get accepted to the HUSO 2023 conference. I got to travel to Spain and speak about the work we had worked so hard on in the past year.
Do you have any parting words for Cosmographers?
I have had the opportunity to work in several companies. One exceptional feature of the COSMOS research lab is the number of growth opportunities available to those ready to work hard, learn new things, and apply themselves.
I will always advise my colleagues to be confident in taking on new challenges at COSMOS and ready to learn and deliver. There will always be people around to assist you when you have questions.