By: Chidinma Ukoha Kalu, Spring 2018 Fellow at San José State University
While at community college, I wasn’t sure about my career path. I was very interested in modeling, dancing, and other creative pursuits, but I knew I needed money to provide for my education and my mum. At the time, I didn’t know how to make my creative paths lucrative. I also knew that I was interested in technology from helping my Mum with her mobile and calling card sales business and from helping family and friends with mobile related issues.
Towards the end of my community college degree, I pursued a training opportunity in the Year Up program, where I learned technical troubleshooting fundamentals and landed a six-month internship with Facebook. Shortly after, I got a job as a Beta Triage Engineer at Tivo and transferred from my community college to San José State University. While working a full-time job at Facebook, I enrolled at San José State University to study Psychology and Human-Computer Interaction.
Working towards my undergraduate degree has been a difficult process. I wasn’t progressing at the pace I wanted, so I decided that 2018 was my year to focus entirely on school — to finish up and get my Bachelor’s degree, which wasn’t an easy decision. The cost of living and educational expenses in the Bay Area keep rising, but if this was going to be the year for me to complete my degree, I would have to leave at the end of a good contract opportunity at Facebook and finish my coursework, all without knowing how I would make money to cover my expenses. After earning my degree, I would like to be a UX Design and Research professional.
After Braven’s Storytelling As Leadership workshop this month, I am even more proud in my story and in my journey. My name is Chidinma Ukoha Kalu. I relocated from Lagos, Nigeria to San José to be with my family. I am fighting hard to stay focused on my goals. I’m enrolled in Braven to help me stay motivated and realize my potential even during this difficult time.
I hadn’t seen my mother since I graduated from high school, but I am happy to be reunited with her now and am working hard to live my legacy — to align my actions in 2018 with my beliefs in the power of a Bachelor’s degree. Paying it forward for my mother, step father, and others who have sacrificed for me.
Chidinma Ukoha Kalu is a senior studying Psychology and Human Systems Integration at San José State University.