We see them as they study. We hear horror stories of ECE classes. Few outsiders, however, know much about the academic lives of engineering students at U of I. Despite the packed calendar and periodic all-nighters, Kenny Nsofor, rising junior in Computer Engineering, makes his hectic schedule work for him. His charisma and academic excellence have led to major internships with NASA last year and the Boeing Company this summer. Through his leadership positions in the university chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, Nsofor also seeks to give back and bring diversity to the engineering field.
HC: How did you get started in engineering?
When I was a kid, I used to take things apart a lot. It kind of got me into a little bit of trouble, but it was always fun. I would take apart old radios, but I wasn’t ever able to put them back together. I felt like going into engineering was one area where I could really learn how things worked.
HC: How do you balance the grueling engineering workload with a social life?
To be honest, it’s really hard. One of the things that I started doing lately was using the brilliant invention, Google Calendar. It basically lets you schedule your life down to every second. I also have a smart phone that syncs my calendar to my phone and it beeps every time I have to do something. I schedule in study time, time to eat, time to hang out with people…. Sometimes you have to deviate a little, but I really have to stick to that schedule in order to make things work.
HC: Can you tell me about your involvement with the National Society of Black Engineers?
One of the programs that NSBE puts on is called high school visitation. During the spring visitation, admitted high school seniors are invited to campus; I attended one of these. When I returned to campus in the fall, I was already familiar with a lot of people and I felt comfortable enough to join. This year I’m the Program Chair, so I’m responsible for planning a lot of the events we do. We have our ‘pre-college initiatives,’ which deal with things like the high school visitation and other activities meant to engage high school and middle school students. We started a NSBE junior chapter at Edison Middle School in Champaign. We go there once a week and do a science experiment for them, and then help with their homework. NSBE also has a Community Service Chair and a Tech Chair, which comes up with fun technical events for us to do.
HC: Do you enjoy the outreach and service work you do with NSBE?
Definitely. Growing up, there were a lot of people who around my age now who kind of looked after me and I saw how that was a major thing that influenced my life and helped me make it to where I am today. That’s why when I do the same thing for others, I’m thinking in my head ‘this could be the next…whoever.’
HC: How did you land your summer internship with Boeing?
I received a scholarship that was sponsored by Boeing and they had a dinner for all of the scholarship recipients at U of I. It was kind of like a meet and greet with Boeing company representatives. This dinner was held on the third floor of Engineering Hall, which locks after 5 or 6 pm. The doorstop to prevent the door from shutting and locking must have gotten kicked out or something because the door was closed when I got there. I was trapped outside the dinner with a Boeing recruiter for about an hour. We started talking and he told me to come by the Boeing booth at the next day’s career fair and drop off my resume. After doing that, I was called to come in for an interview the next morning and in about a week or two, I was offered a position with Boeing in Everett, Washington, which is about a half hour north of Seattle.
HC: What do you enjoy most about interning with different companies?
I just like new experiences. I was born in Mississippi, raised in Illinois and I haven’t seen too much outside the state of Illinois. Getting to travel and be on my own is one of the coolest parts of it. One of the things I learned how to do last summer was to cook. I got to my internship with NASA and I was eating Ramen noodles for the first two weeks. After a while, I called my mom, told her that I wanted to make Spaghetti and asked her what to buy. She gave me instructions on the phone while I cooked. After that, I started experimenting and now I can make my own food.
HC: What are you looking forward to most in the years to come?
I’m just looking forward to enjoying life and seeing how things come. There’s no way I could tell you where I’ll be in ten years. Hopefully I’ll have a degree in computer engineering from the University of Illinois. There is some planning involved in the things I do, but I try to take life day by day.