As we celebrate Bold women with Bold Voices, Today we turn the Spotlight to Ogechi Ugwulebo.
Ogechi Ugwulebo is a Wife, Mother, Senior Software Engineer, Information Security Professional, Community Leader and Founder of the Association of Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals (ANWEP).
Ogechi hails from Imo state in Nigeria and moved to the United Sates in 1996 after getting married to her husband, Chief Basil Ugwulebo. Prior to moving to the United States, Ogechi obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Calabar in Nigeria.
Upon her arrival in the United States, Ogechi decided to pursue another Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Nevada in Reno after which she worked as a Web Developer for Renown Health, the largest healthcare provider in Northern Nevada. In 2010 Ogechi was recognized with the Women of Color Rising Stars Award for her talent in creating web applications that helped automate processes and enhance user experience.
In 2012 Ogechi relocated to Dallas, TX with her husband and children and worked as a Software Engineer for HealthSmart, an IT company in Irving, TX that develops software applications for the healthcare industry.
She later proceeded to obtain a Master of Science Degree in Cybersecurity from the University of Dallas and recently transitioned to the Information Security Officer role within the same company.
Among Ogechi’s many talents, one her greatest passion is to give back to her community through active participation in empowering the next generation of women leaders and entrepreneurs.
Through ANWEP, Ogechi has developed programs such as “Confident Girl, Smart Choices”, a free self-esteem workshop for girls ages 9 through 17 that aims to create awareness, education and empowerment with an emphasis on the value of intelligence, competence and education to assist the girls in making positive decisions, and the “Empower Girls in STEM” initiative which is designed to give underrepresented groups, particularly girls and women, a window into STEM careers through mentorship and role modeling.
Ogechi understands that role models and mentors help young women visualize themselves as Professionals and future Leaders which is why her mentoring efforts not only provide successful role models for future women in STEM, but also showcase the range of opportunities a STEM education makes possible. Ogechi recognizes that female education is a crucial component to poverty alleviation and investing in girls education also helps delay early marriage and parenthood. Globally, one out of seven youth are unemployed, and one out of six adolescents are not in school.
It is Ogechi’s mission to increase the number of women in STEM through ANWEP’s career-focused programs and initiatives. Investing in young people’s education is very vital since it is directly correlated to employment opportunities.
Ogechi’s philanthropic spirit can be seen in her passion to make our community a better place to live by creating the Adopt-a-Facility program which focuses on providing emergency assistance to families in need within our immediate communities. Every year, ANWEP adopts three needy families for the holiday season. The goal is to make every one’s Christmas wishes come true. ANWEP collects the list of wants for Christmas and endeavors to provide most items on the list or issue a gift card to enable the family to purchase food and other necessities. Last year, ANWEP adopted one needy family in our immediate DFW community and two families in our home country Nigeria. On Saturday December 15th, 2018 ANWEP delivered a $500 gift card to a struggling single mom Ms. Patrice Gardner and her 5 children in Dallas, TX.
More information can be found on the ANWEP website at https://www.anwep-usa.org
Join ANWEP on Saturday, August 10th, 2019 at their 2019 Annual Fundraising and Awards Banquet to celebrate and honor extraordinary and inspirational women professionals and entrepreneurs whose work embody the spirit of the organization.
Proceeds from the 2019 Annual Fundraising and Awards Banquet will benefit their Empower Girls in STEM initiative which enables them to provide ongoing mentorship and academic scholarships to high school students in Denton and Dallas counties (Identified through their local school districts in Dallas and Denton Counties) who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM and currently maintaining a GPA of 3.5 and above on the 4-point scale.
Venue is the Hyatt Place in Garland, TX.
Tickets are $75 and can be purchased on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-annual-convention-and-awards-banquet-tickets-55784714583?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anwep-usa.org/
- Phone: 7752004513
- Email: ogechi@anwep-usa.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anwepusa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ANWEPNational
- Twitter: twitter.com/ANWEP2