Wendy A. Okolo (PHD) is an Aerospace Engineering researcher in the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Her focus is in the area of systems health monitoring and control systems design with applications to air and space components, vehicles, and systems. To that effect, she manages a multi-million dollar sub-project on a System-Wide Safety Project, leading a team to develop the monitoring, predictive, and mitigation capabilities that will enable the safe operations of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the U.S. national airspace.
Her research experiences also include stints at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where she worked on her dissertation research in aircraft formation flight for fuel savings. Her efforts were demonstrated with flight tests by the U.S. Air Force to realise easily attainable fuel efficiencies with existing and new aircraft.
At 26 years old, Wendy became the first black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her graduate studies were recognised and funded by the U.S. Department of Defence through the National Defence Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, Zonta International through the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Texas Space Grant Consortium.
GROWING UP
I had a normal childhood. I didn’t see myself as anything out of the ordinary. I was a little quiet. I went to St Mary’s Primary School in Lagos Island and then Queen’s College in Lagos for secondary school. I was very active in church. I was in the choir, I used to dance. I have two big sisters and a younger brother and we’re like everything a family should be. My sisters are very influential, always there and helping me out. They influenced who I am today, and my mum particularly.
LOVE FOR SCIENCE
School was easy for me, I got A’s all through, but my mum said I was going to become an Engineer even before I knew what it was. I was telling everyone that I wanted to become an Engineer, but I didn’t know what Engineer I was going to be. I didn’t decide what engineering to specialise in right before I started my first semester but later on, Aerospace was what I fell in love with because it was fascinating.
BEING AT THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) U.S.A
I wasn’t one of those people that wanted to work in NASA. What happened for me was, I got a Ph.D. When you get a Ph.D, most people fall in love with the research and having that independence to study what you want to study. NASA for me was one of the places that gave me that opportunity. That opportunity to have an idea and apply for a grant, get it and do that work. That’s why I’m at the research center in Silicon Valley, California.
HAVING A PHD AT 26
I didn’t think about it until people just started asking the question. I just loved school. I really liked it. For me, it was just about learning and being in that environment. I sometimes think about all the classes I should have sneaked into to learn something new about something else. I liked school, so I stayed there. After my bachelor’s degree, I did the whole track and doing a Ph.D. in something like Aerospace as a black woman, exposed me to a lot of opportunities and I took advantage of that.
BEING A YOUNG BLACK GIRL AT NASA AND THE CHALLENGES
I think everyone that is not as widely represented in any field will have those challenges, and it’s not even what you will expect. The people you might expect to have your back are the ones who do not, and then the ones that you think will not have your back are your biggest champions. My first supervisor at NASA was a White man in his 50s and married. He was my ‘guy’. He’ll keep it real, and then you’re in places where you’re dealing with toxicity from a woman, but one of the things that I have, is the support system that is unparalleled: my sister, friends and my husband. I lean on that support. No matter what the field is, when you’re represented as much, you see those who say ‘who does she think she is?’ I’ve risen really fast at NASA. I’ve been rapidly promoted. I’ve gotten everything I wanted there. So, it could be ‘who does she think she is?’ But I came hungry, I came ready to work. I took a break after my Ph.D, so when I got to NASA, I came with ‘fire’. Trust me when I say you can deal with some of that unconscious bias.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, WHAT DOES THE MONTH MEAN TO YOU?
March is a reminder to recognise and amplify the woman that you know and then push for the thing that you want. Ask for that promotion today. It’s an opportunity to be bold, and if you cannot be bold for yourself, be bold for others. It is a month to take it all, you deserve it, ask for it.
RECENT ATTENTION TO WOMEN BEING ELEVATED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS GLOBALLY
There’s been a lot of elevation of Black women. I think it’s been a long time coming. But one of the things that are really important is that you only hope it’s not tokenism. Are they really being given positions of power and influence? We need to be asking ourselves when someone gets a position, what position is it really? And is she still having to answer to the man? It’s a great thing, but let’s make sure it’s not face value. People, there is a woman in leadership, but does she really have the power? Because if she does not, you’re not going to get what you want. You’re looking for diversity of opinions; you’re looking for people to come up with solutions that haven’t been created before.
When people do the car test, they were designed to protect the average driver in the car and the prototype that they use is a man. Women are more likely to be more injured than the men, and it can be as simple as not using a prototype that embodies women for the car tests. That’s why you need women in those places.
They need to be empowered themselves to speak up. It’s great to have them there, but are they empowered? Do they have the authority and influence to really effect the change?
WHO ARE THOSE INSPIRING YOU CURRENTLY?
Influence comes in different forms. My friends that are business people have inspired me. The ones that are able to get up and post/showcase what they do inspire me. The ones that exercise and are fit, they inspire me. Women with humility and diligence in what they do, inspire me. Those little moments inspire me. Almost every woman I know inspire me in their own way.
MANAGING MULTIPLE MILLION DOLLAR PROJECTS
There are so many amazing uses for these things, for instance, drones. They can be used to investigate fires, how bad did the fire spread in an area instead of sending humans. One of the most amazing things about working at NASA is that the benefit is for the people. With the introduction of these things into the airspace, there will be this unprecedented growth. We have to be daily prepared; we don’t know what could happen next.
So, I led a team of the most brilliant people, we developed these capabilities to be able to predict before something bad happens. What are the bad things that can happen? How badly can they happen? So that you can avoid incidents.
ADVICE TO THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT ON SUPPORTING THE YOUTHS AND GIVING SCHOLARSHIPS
For the government, Kemi, they know. It’s just what’s in it for them that they are particular about, they know. When I speak to people, it’s always about whether the government cares or listens. Truth of the matter is that, Nigeria is for Nigerians, and if as a leader, you don’t invest in your people, you have to imagine that, even though you manage to secure yourself, how about the generations after you? Will they ever be able to thrive in that country? If you are okay with your children’s children never having any affiliation with the country, because it has been run down to the extent that water, electricity isn’t available, then I do not know what to say. A situation where we’re refugees in our own country, things have become so bad, if they feel comfortable leading in this state that it is in, then obviously, it is going to be business as usual.
The question is often “What’s in it for them?” Look at the #EndSARS protest, nobody was safe. My mother’s house was broken into and vandalised. Everything was taken, everything was gone. She’s not a politician, we have no business with politics, nobody was safe and the things they didn’t take were broken. That was 2020. If we continue this way, in a hundred years, what’s it going to be?
It’s unfortunate what is happening with the killings of the youths. No matter what, property can’t be compared to life. People may be as good as a society tells them they should be, but when the chips are down, all these civilized people that you see will ‘eat’ each other. When people think they can get away with stuff, they will do anything to get away. When people believe that no one is looking, the things that can be done are crazy.
Still on the hijacking of the #EndSARS protest by hoodlums, I don’t think there was any thought involved. It was like ‘here’s something open, I’m going to get it’. Because of how faulty the system has become, some may get home and their mothers would be like, “You walked passed a hundred TVs and you didn’t bring any home, what type of child are you?” So, I don’t think there was any much thought to it. They just stole.
GETTING IT RIGHT IN LIFE
Imposter syndrome is a real thing. When you feel like: what am I doing? How did I get here? If you don’t know it, it doesn’t mean that you won’t know it. You can take the time and start from scratch. But, I do want to say this for people I don’t mentor directly, if I post an opportunity and it’s not relevant to you, it may be relevant to someone else, share it. Look at the things that I’ve shared, look at the originator, the organisers, go there, make enquiries, be inquisitive, go on their website and see what other opportunities that are available for you. But a lot of people want to be spoon fed. That’s one recurring thing that I see.
COVID-19
The pandemic has been ‘interesting’. It’s been good and bad. My family was unscathed till the #EndSARS incident and that was tied to COVID-19. COVID-19 happened, palliatives were hoarded, people were at home, people hungry, people were angry, they took to the streets, they protested, hoodlums hijacked and looted and my mum’s house got broken into.
There was a trickledown effect and that was the thing that finally got my family in early October. But for me, before that, COVID-19 forced us all to be still. I was starting to see people burn out. I don’t know if it’s our generation that is working harder and not smarter, but everyone is tired. 2019, I kept saying ‘I need a break’… just that period of rest and rejuvenation. It might be that this is not okay to say because people have lost lives, but it forced us to be still and think differently nevertheless, we’re going to come out of this very differently.
COVID-19 has shown that we are as productive, if not more productive when we had some flexibility with our work life schedules. Better for the organisations, they don’t have to be paying overhead. I would appreciate some more of that flexibility, giving us time to really connect with what really happens because depression rate is going up, people are needing antidepressants. We were not built to live like this. I understand the challenge, but it forced me to be still, gave me time to reconnect with myself, family and very grateful for that and hopefully, for the additional flexibility. COVID-19 was ‘peace be still’ but I understand it was difficult for a lot of us.
The kind of work I do, I’ve always been able to work from anywhere in the world on my laptop. My entire team was able to work from home.
EVER FANTASISED BEING IN SPACE?
I like it here on earth Kemi. I like people and eating whatever I want. I would love the experience of doing it though, but it’s not an easy job, and that’s why astronauts are celebrities. They do the hard work that we cannot do. They go there and carry all the research for scientists, sequencing DNA , finding work that is harder to do on earth because there is gravity, they do all that for us, creating those solutions and coming back to earth and making life better for us.
They risk their lives because your body structure changes. When they come back, they can’t walk because when you’re in space, you float around and you don’t know how to stand anymore, so they have to carry them and teach them how to walk when they return to earth. I would love the experience but I’m fine here.
DAY NEVER T BE FORGOTTEN
The birth of my son. It was an amazing experience. I’ve always been Wendy, but pregnancy and motherhood will humble you, teach you that you’re nothing. His arrival was maybe one of the first times that I’d have to surrender. I wasn’t in control. Ever since then, I’ve just been learning. I call it giving up and letting go. My husband called it ‘giving in.’
BALANCING ALL THAT YOU ARE
It’s very time consuming and takes a lot. Nevertheless, what really works is having a schedule which helps to deal with the unpredictability of life. I also engage in consistent exercise. I cannot over emphasize the importance of exercise. It’s a wellness thing. Coffee also helps me. Then support from my husband, mum and sister.
My husband is very supportive and that is really helpful. If I had to deal with the stress alone, it would be very difficult for me. Finally, the peace that God gives is my ultimate support.
ADVICE TO ALL
If Dangote is not resting on his oars, what are you doing? Who are you to say ‘I give up?’ There are multiple ways to get to what you want. Focus on the things that you are doing and remember there are many ways to achieve those things that you want. Be flexible and persevere.
