This spring, Morolake Omoya successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, becoming the first Black student to receive bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.
Careers in technology and science are practically a family tradition, but Omoya was the only member of her family to study outside of her native Nigeria. In addition, she was pursuing a field of study in which women and Black students are significantly underrepresented. According to the American Society for Engineering Education, women earned just one-fourth of the 12,402 engineering doctoral degrees awarded nationally in 2021, and people who are Black or African American earned less than 4%.
Over the past few years, Omoya shared her findings at conferences; often, she was one of just a handful of Black presenters, a stressor she learned to conquer. But as she prepares to receive her doctoral hood on June 18, Omoya said she hopes her achievement highlights the unique challenges Black students face.
“I was immediately impressed by her abounding curiosity, intelligence, creativity, drive and love of math,” said Audrey Pool O’Neal, a UCLA adjunct associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the center’s former director of undergraduate programs. “I soon learned these gifts were rivaled only by her compassion, sense of responsibility and an overwhelming desire to help others.”
Following her doctoral defense in March, Omoya joined Moody’s Risk Management Solutions in the Bay Area. As a risk modeler, Omoya analyzes the potential effects of catastrophic wind events in North America, Europe and other regions.
Read more about Omoya’s inspiring story at UCLA Newsroom.
Image Source: Samueli School of Engineering
