Saluting Black Scholarship at UIC Engineering

Saluting Black Scholarship at UIC Engineering recognizes students' academic success and contributions to the UIC community and beyond. Through their leadership, these students have demonstrated perseverance and commitment to uplifting and empowering others.

Learn about these stellar students, their campus involvement, proud moments at UIC, and what Black Excellence means to them!

Check out our 2024 Student Spotlights! Heading link

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Aaron Tillery

Computer Engineering, Undergraduate Student

Where are you from?

Chicago, Illinois

Describe a proud moment you have had at UIC

When I was awarded the ComEd Scholarship award!

What student organizations or groups are you a part of at UIC? 

National Society of Black Engineers, UIC CHANCE Program

What keeps you motivated to succeed academically?

One thing that keeps me motivated during the semester is my family and friends! Each individual that I love and trust, helps me to push past the difficulties and challenging times that may occur. With their support, I am the person you see today!

Who inspires you or do you believe is important to highlight for Black History Month?

My great-great grandfather Bishop John Silas Holly! He was an apostolic pioneer here in the heart of Bronzeville and a leader that many around the world followed!

What are your plans after you graduate?

To work at a high tech company and learn the important skills and techniques to take and share with the youth!

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Blossom Egbuonu

Computer Science,  Undergraduate Student

Where are you from?

Lagos, Nigeria.

Describe a proud moment you have had at UIC

A proud moment I had at UIC was being a TA for CS113 at UIC which was the first Computer Science class I took at UIC. It marked a full circle from student to mentor, allowing me to share my knowledge and passion for computer science with new students.

What student organizations or groups are you a part of at UIC? 

National Society Of Black Engineers, African Student Council, DuSable Scholars Program

What keeps you motivated to succeed academically?

I am motivated by the belief that education is the most powerful weapon you can own. My drive to represent underrepresented groups in tech and to use my skills for global impact, especially in Africa, fuels my academic success.

Who inspires you or do you believe is important to highlight for Black History Month?

Philip Emeagwali is a significant source of inspiration for me. He is a Nigerian computer scientist who gained global recognition for his work in developing a formula used for supercomputing in the oil reservoir modeling industry.

What are your plans after you graduate?

After graduation, I plan to join a tech company to continue growing my expertise in software engineering and contribute meaningfully to the industry. Academically, I plan on attending graduate school for either a Master’s in Computer Science or an MBA, to further enhance my skills and knowledge.

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Giorgia Asamoah

Biomedical Engineering, Undergraduate Student

Where are you from?

From Bolingbrook Illinois, family from Ghana, born in Italy

Describe a proud moment you have had at UIC

My second semester here as a transfer student, I had a group project that could be on any topic. The people in my group refused to help me or add to the project so I ended up choosing the topic, researching it, performed the modeling, and presented the project basically entirely on my own. My project was titled “Detecting Depression in Brain activity with EEG frequency bands”. I was upset at how the project played out and I was nervous about not getting a good grade. But, to my surprise, everyone in the class was very impressed with my project and its findings and I still get comments today – 2 years later – from classmates who remember that presentation and really enjoyed it. This proved to me my ability to succeed even when the odds are stacked against me.

What student organizations or groups are you a part of at UIC? 

National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

What keeps you motivated to succeed academically?

Honestly, my parents, as cliche as it sounds but they were the first people to reiterate education to me. They were the first people that encouraged me to excel in my classes and not just pass. Also, I just love learning because education is one of the things no one can take away from you and I am a true believer that knowledge is power.

Who inspires you or do you believe is important to highlight for Black History Month?

Any Black medical professional inspires me. Any Black professional that knows what it feels like to be the only Black person in a class, or knows how it feels to be first generation, or knows how it feels to be doubted. Black professionals that hold positions to let other Black students know it’s possible deserve to be celebrated for Black History Month. Representation means everything.

What are your plans after you graduate?

To find a neural engineering position preferably or any other biomedical engineering positions

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Joshua Campbell

Computer Engineering, Undergraduate Student

Where are you from?

Chicago, IL

Describe a proud moment you have had at UIC

A proud moment I have had at UIC was when fellow students recognize me as a role model in STEM and a leader on campus.

What student organizations or groups are you a part of at UIC? 

National Society of Black Engineers, UIC CHANCE Program

What keeps you motivated to succeed academically?

My motivation is to make my mother proud and to be an example for Black STEM students that they can succeed too.

Who inspires you or do you believe is important to highlight for Black History Month?

I think Ron Guerrier and Virginia Booth-Womack are two people that need to be highlighted for Black History Month. Guerrier for being one of most influential Black tech executives in the world and Booth-Womack for her role as one of the key founding members of NSBE.

What are your plans after you graduate?

I plan to further my education by pursuing a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

JB

Jeremiah Benjamin

Computer Science, Undergraduate Student

Where are you from?

Chicago, IL

Describe a proud moment you have had at UIC

Promoting DEI in STEM

What student organizations or groups are you a part of at UIC? 

NSBE

What keeps you motivated to succeed academically?

Making god/myself/my family/my community proud, in that order.

Who inspires you or do you believe is important to highlight for Black History Month?

Clarence Ellis

What are your plans after you graduate?

Work full time as a software engineer 🙂

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Rashaun Muhammad

Industrial Engineering with a Minor in Business Administration, Undergraduate Senior

Where are you from?

Chicago, IL

Describe a proud moment you have had at UIC

Last summer, I had the honor of engaging in undergraduate research alongside my faculty advisor, Dr. Quintin Williams. Dedication and effort were poured into crafting a presentation focusing on musculoskeletal disorders resulting from medical tools used by female surgeons. The culmination was presenting before esteemed UIC faculty and fellow researchers, receiving positive feedback that left me immensely proud of the time invested in the project.

What student organizations or groups are you a part of at UIC? 

NSBE, SHPE, IISE

What keeps you motivated to succeed academically?

The sacrifices and time invested by both myself and my family have fueled not only my academic drive but also my path to success.

Who inspires you or do you believe is important to highlight for Black History Month?

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad is an individual who I believe should be highlighted this black history month due to his wealth of knowledge and his immense positive impact on black culture.

What are your plans after you graduate?

Upon graduation, my aspiration is to thrive in a supply chain and logistics role, laying the foundation for my ultimate goal—establishing and successfully managing my own engineering consulting firm in the future.

2023 Student Spotlights Heading link