Students from all over the world constitute the ACES Program. This May, several of the students will be graduating and among them is someone from Lagos, Nigeria. Emmanuel Uwadiegwu moved to the United States in 2010 from Nigeria. He enjoys exploring the compelling possibilities behind the programmable machine, the computer; therefore, he is majoring in Computer Information Systems. Emmanuel says his curiosity about computers all began back in Lagos when the video game console, PlayStation, the PSX was released. He became interested specifically in, Bleem, a software that allows a person to play video games on a computer system. All in all, he really liked “tinkering” with his computer and his passion in experimenting with computers continues today.

Like many immigrants, Emmanuel came to the U.S. in search of a better future and educational opportunities. He started college in 2010 and became part of the close-knit ACES community, where he learned early on to diversify his interests, instead of only focusing on the field of computer programming. He recalls his experience during his first year with ACES: “During the ACES program, we went through topics that dealt with the nature of food in the U.S, to the life of the Beatles and the pop scene of the time, to exploring post-apocalyptic stories. I have applied this eager and widespread approach towards learning.”

Today, Emmanuel interns for a software company as a Quality Assurance Engineer. He performs “regression testing, which entails making sure phone applications are bug free after new changes are implemented.” He additionally performs various reporting and automated testing via the test scripts he codes.

Aside from his busy school and workload, Emmanuel has participated in several extracurricular activities in school. Before it became a team, he was part of the soccer club and he is also the president of the Philosophy club. Moreover, he is part of the student-run team that maintains the ACES website and is happy how it has turned out. Additionally, Emmanuel says, “Just because I am a Computer Information Systems major does not mean I have to restrict my knowledge to this field alone. I enjoy music, entrepreneurship, philosophy and programming as well, and I am thankful that the ACES program helped facilitate this mindset.”

Upon graduation, with hopes of getting into the school of his choice, Emmanuel plans to pursue his Masters in Computer Science. In addition, he hopes to continue working at the software company he currently works at because be believes that his “workplace is accommodating and filled with great people.”

When questioned, what is one lesson he learned during his four years at St. Joseph’s College that he thinks he will apply to the rest of his life, Emmanuel responded with “humility,” a simple, yet very meaningful and influential, word. “Humility is the key to understanding and maintaining a cool head at all times, as it does away with the many impulses and ego that blind us at times. Once this is in check, the world is yours because you are one step ahead of your mistakes. You see yourself pursuing things for their own sake and not for the sake of something superficial,” says Emmanuel. In regards to his experience at St. Joseph’s College, he acknowledges, “It has been great. I learned a lot and I see myself as being who I am because of the experiences that have brought me this far. All in all, it turned out nicely as I learned one never has to lose one’s originality to do great things or be a good person.” When asked if there is anything else he would like to mention in this article, he responded with, “Yes! Professor Larson is cool.

Student Spotlight: Emmanuel Uwadiegwu by Tenzin Yingsal ('16)