I come from Oyo State in the Southwestern part of Nigeria. I was born to parents I won’t call strict but principled. As the second child of four children, the responsibility lies on me to take care of my younger siblings and advise my elder sister on life issues.
I grew up to appreciate the prestige, dignity, and honor that go with the teaching profession since my both parents are in the teaching profession. Although they do not make as much money as those working in industry, they are contented with making life by ensuring that other people’s children are trained both academically and morally.
I also found my way into the academic world. Being a resilient person, I wrote my university entrance examination three times, which meant three years of waiting, before I was able gain admission to the university; however, I never allowed discouragement to set in despite these multiple attempts. My philosophies of life have always been, “to every problem (or challenge) there is a solution” and “tell the truth always, you will never need to remember what you have said.” I have always believed that the best person I could be in life is to be myself and the only person I am in constant competition with is myself, to see a better version of me regardless of the challenges around me.
These experiences and philosophies went a long way in establishing my person and building my character, which of course strengthened my relationship with people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or country of origin. This propelled me to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship in the highly competitive American Association of University Women. I am more than grateful for the mentorship I am receiving at the University of Oklahoma through Prof. Hougen of the School of Computer Science. OU has helped me drastically to shape my career in Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). My past experiences at OU served as a driving force that motivated me to encourage a group of women to begin or forge ahead in their careers in STEM. We meet biweekly online to discuss their careers in STEM. I started with 7 women in 2021 and they are now 13 in number.
In 2012, I joined a Non-Governmental Organization, Women in Technology, where we go to rural areas of Southwestern Nigeria to educate Women leaders on the importance of computers and how to make use of them for socio-economic development. These women are invited to seminars, open discussions, and workshops, where they are being educated on the importance of technology to our fast-growing world and how they can fit in their own way. They in turn go back to their rural communities and educate women at the grassroots level, teaching them what they have been taught. We also check on them to see how they are progressing to help ensure success. It was during one of these trips to these counties that I got the inspiration and passion to reach out to these women and girls. I just knew that if the opportunity was given to these women to be educated, many of them will be better placed. Then I took it upon myself to interact with some of them one-on-one. It was during my discussion with most of these women that I realized how intelligent they are and with just a little push, they can become a better version of themselves.
Out of the passion I have for the women and girls, particularly in the rural arears of Southwestern Nigeria, I am currently working on the project Development of an Automated Dialogue System for Cervical Cancer Risk Awareness and Estimation for Women and Girls in English, Yoruba, and Spanish Languages. I am working with a research team which is being supervised by Prof. Hougen. When information on cervical cancer risk estimation and awareness is communicated with these women and girls in their own languages, it can go a long way in preserving their lives and that of a community since they will have a better understanding of the concepts and their associated risk. Being aware of any signs and symptoms of cervical cancer can also help avoid delays in diagnosis. Early detection of the disease allows for quicker action and for saving precious time. Early detection greatly improves the chances of successful treatment, thereby reducing the negative effect of this disease on the socio-economic value of the country. This will enable these women to participate or contribute meaningfully to the economic development of their community and the country as whole.
In future, with the assistance of my STEM group, I will educate rural women leaders on the importance to us as women of computer systems as scientific tools in STEM. This will enable them to sensitize other women to go for adult education in STEM. I will also do a “catch them young program” for girls both in primary and secondary school. In this program, they will be educated and enlightened on the importance of their meaningful contributions to STEM. In addition, there will be platforms whereby rural women and girls will be gathered to speak their minds as regards the challenges they are facing as far as cervical cancer and STEM are concerned. Solutions will be proffered and where necessary concerned authorities will be informed.
In Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, women make up on average just 22% of the total number of Engineering and Technology university graduates each year. Although the participation of women in higher education has increased, they are still underrepresented. Women are confronted with various challenges while pursuing their careers, in particular, due to socio-cultural factors, including religious and cultural fundamentalism, as well as work-family conflict and societal bias towards women, etc. Many people do not see the need for women to go to school. They believe they will end up in their husband’s kitchen. Balancing family life and personal relationships while achieving a successful career in science is a major challenge for women. The challenges of childcare and the demands of running a research laboratory are often seen as incompatible. Women who plan to have children in the future drop out of the academic research race at twice the rate of men. Women are hard hit with family responsibilities just when they need to meet research goals. This is, however, the result of gender disparities in education. Despite efforts made to close this gap, STEM fields are still lagging behind.
As a typical African woman, achieving these goals could be challenging but not impossible. With constant competition with oneself, one will be able to achieve a better version of oneself.
