Some People Call Me Oscar Or Oscar-T

Hey guys, another Sunday. We are going to be seven months this week and I thought, “Why don’t I introduce myself?”. This is not like a professional bio or an essay about myself, it’s you getting to know me. My name is Oscar-Timothy Okolo and yeah “Oscar-Timothy” is one name. Some people call me Oscar or Oscar-T.

I immigrated to the United States a few years ago but I was raised in the South eastern part of Nigeria, the city of Onitsha, the best city in the world after New York City. I attended Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka where I earned my Bachelors in Computer science in 2019. So same region different cities.

About family, I’m the last of five children. This automatically means I shouldn’t have much burden or responsibility but that doesn’t apply in my case. I was shaped with a goal-oriented mindset and the expectations have always been top notch which turned out to be one of my motivations. Being the last of five kids teaches you patience and tolerance which has become one of my strongest traits and almost a weapon at this point. Oscar can be very very patient.

Growing up in Nigeria specifically the southeast shaped me in so many ways, especially my values and the way I view life. Growing up in a region where you can’t pass an elder without greeting, Oh! That is a taboo or collecting something with your left hand, which was a crime I committed the most cause I’m left-handed. Unlike in the United States, where I met a guy I worked with that told me He was trying to figure out his life and what he wants to study at 23/24, I came from a place where there’s no time to figure it out. Do this and figure it out later.

Professionally I am into Project Management and I’m passionate about software and IT. I won’t talk about my experience and qualifications because we will digress, but I am a certified project manager that is very keen on process improvement and Agile practices. I chose this path because it aligns perfectly with my soft skills and personality in every way.

My love for computers started when I was 10. We got our first desktop set up in the living room and that was my favorite place. I taught myself the basics, MS Word and Power point. There was no internet so I would just keep typing and creating dummy presentations day-in day-out till I became quite proficient. I then learned Excel a little bit in school and that was it, a passion was born. My biggest question, HOW? How does software work? How was it made? When I play video games what happens in the back that I’m not seeing? How was it made to happen? Coupled with my love for mathematics, I decided to pursue computer science.

The passion was great but the location, not so much. To stay updated I had to follow trends that were not in the country. I read lecture notes from schools in the US and whenever I had time to visit, I was always in the library trying to keep my knowledge updated. I’m not saying that I didn’t gain anything but the system can improve. I almost didn’t want to know what was going on in school anymore, I was taking online courses, doing projects and tutoring for the most part.

If you have read all my posts you’ll know how much I talk about knowledge, I come from a generation of teachers, so I think teaching is like a thing that comes naturally and added to my patience, I might be the best teacher you’ve seen. As president of the department of Computer science I always spoke against the system of education in the university that was so focused on exams, which may or may not have put me in trouble but I stand for what I stand for. The system wasn’t creating people ready to face the world.

My favorite thing to do is learn, my other hobbies include reading, writing, coding, I love board games and strategy. Favorite sports is soccer (GGMU) and the one thing I can’t survive without is Music.

I have strong values and the number one thing I seek after knowledge is growth. I just can’t be the same person I was yesterday. I love my family, we have been through it all, but we still stand. I value friendship a lot, although I will say since I relocated permanently, I have been so focused on life but I promise you all that we will catch up soon.