Kanesha Overton Age: 22
Student, University of Oklahoma Norman, OK
UNDER THIRTY F
or Kanesha Overton, college wasn’t always an op- tion. Growing up in a low-income family in Wash- ington, DC, college was a very distant dream, not only for Kanesha, but for her peers as well. Most people, she said, never graduated from high school and typically worked in retail or the service in- dustry. Today, she works to make sure that all students, especially those from low-income areas, know they have the power to be anything they want to be. “There’s nothing wrong with those jobs,” Kanesha said. “But I think it’s important to know that you have options, that college is indeed an option.” Kanesha cites her local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club of America as the place where she started to real- ize that college was her best choice in order to make a difference in her community. After talking with her mentor there, Marchlarina Davis, she began asking her high school teachers for
advice to ensure she succeeded in college. During her junior year, Kanesha participated in a workshop hosted by Purdue University that introduced her to more rigorous STEM courses. After being educated about engineering coursework, she knew she wanted to be an engineer.
Kanesha chose to major in industrial and systems engineering because it combined engineering with the business aspects of the field. “I love engineering, but I also wanted to be business-savvy, so I chose a major where I could have the best of both worlds,” she told Manufacturing Engineering.
Before she even began classes at the University of Oklahoma, Kanesha joined the university’s Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) and attended the AT&T Summer Bridge Program. This opportunity allowed her
“I think it’s important to know that you have options, that college is an option.”
to build relationships with incoming minority engineer- ing students, meet her future professors, and also work on group projects relevant to engineering. As a member of MEP, which provides academic services for minority students pursuing engineering degrees, Kanesha currently works in the office as a student assistant and tutor coordinator, where many parents of her classmates comment on her knowledge and willingness to help. She previously tutored students in calculus, chemistry, and other industrial engineering courses. “Kanesha is a model tutor and student,” wrote Lisa Morales, director of the MEP, and one of several people to nominate Kanesha. In addition to the MEP, Kanesha mentors students at a local elementary school and volunteers weekly at the Center for Children and Families in Norman. “There are many qualities I admire about Kanesha,” Morales wrote, “but her work ethic and per-
severance to overcome adversity and succeed is what I love so much about her.”
For Kanesha, volunteering is a labor of love. “I’m committed to helping others, no matter what it takes,” she said.
Kanesha is also a member of several organizations, including OU’s SME student chapter, the National Soci- ety of Black Engineers, the National Society of Women Engineers, the Black Student Association at OU, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. This summer, Kanesha has a supply chain manage- ment internship with Halliburton. She plans to finish her last semester at OU this fall and graduate in December. Her ultimate career goal, she said, is to become the CEO of a manufacturing company that serves its com- munity and the world. ME
July 2014 |
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THIRTY UNDER THIRTY PROFILES
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