Country of origin

Nigeria

Which company do you work for?

Monetha

What is your specific area of specialisation?

Data Science

How long have you been in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields?

7 years

As a woman in a male dominated industry, what has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I have faced in my career is being heard. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, you can find your voice being drowned in the sea of the numerous learned/experienced men in the industry.

I had to overcome this challenge by constantly staying up to date in this industry and being open-minded to learn from every one, without hesitating to give back as well.

What inspired you to join this industry?

I was inspired by my love for numbers and programming. It was also really inspiring knowing that it was possible to make things work and see them actually work.

What changes, if any, have you seen in your field with regards to women in your field?

I see lots of changes regarding women in my field but one outstanding change I see is that women are now given the same opportunity as the men in this field, and it is really an interesting time to be a woman. There is lots of support and encouragement for women in this field. It’s really amazing.

How can we attract more women to consider a career in the STEM fields?

I really think that women get encouraged when they see their fellow women excelling in fields, they thought they could not excel in. Hence, having more women speak up about their experiences in this field will encourage other women.

What we see in our society today is more men talking about their struggles and achievements while the women disguise under “trying to be humble” or “trying not to be seen as too loud”.
It will really be attractive having more women mentor in the STEM field speak up about their careers and encourage fellow women to as well.

If you were to advise other young women starting their careers in the tech or within the STEM fields, what is the one thing you would say to them?

If I were to advise other young women starting their careers in the tech or STEM field, it will be – just keep moving even when it makes no sense, and it will definitely be rewarding.

I’d also advise them to understand that their career journey is peculiar to them, having a mentor is really helpful, at the same time they need to learn to go at their pace and keep moving, no matter how little those steps are.

What we have these days are people looking to see results faster than the actual work that is required to be put in, because they see a lot of other people already enjoying the reward of their “own struggle”

When not working, what do you do for fun?

When not working I love to read, check up on people, and be adventurous.