Ripple Effect: Sofiat’s Inspiring Path in Changing Lives Through Coding
Growing up with hardworking parents who instilled the value of diligence, our remarkable guest - Sofiat has dedicated her life to making a difference in the world. This has shown in her founding Computer Science Academy Africa (CSAAfrica) - an initiative aiming to provide young Africans in STEM with access to quality computer science education and her numerous speaking/mentoring involvements. She also founded the Nigerian Student Society at the University of Glasgow. Sofiat's passion for helping others (particularly through CSAAfrica) has led to her being awarded the Future World Changer Award by the University of Glasgow. In this episode, we explore her upbringing, pivotal moments and why she believes in giving back to others. Her dedication to teaching, community outreach, and creating positive change is truly inspiring.
Sofiat takes us behind the scenes of running an organisation such as CSAAfrica and one highlight was her candid explanation that the journey wasn't always easy. She feels grateful that she kept on going.
Finally, we discuss the importance of self-care and balance while striving to help others. Our guest shares their insights on setting boundaries, prioritizing wellbeing, and recognising one's strengths and resources when setting goals. Don't miss this inspiring episode as we uncover the power of kindness, determination, and the pursuit of making a positive impact in the world.
Rapid fire questions
Favourite book: Deep work by Cal Newport
Favourite food: Plantain and Beans
Favourite inspirational leader: Barack Obama
Favourite holiday destination: Marrakech, Morocco
What is one subject you would want to know more about: Machine Learning
Favourite compliment you've received: Anytime people tell me I've made an impact in their lives particularly when I could have given up
What would you want your legacy to be: I would want to be remembered as a person who gave knowledge to others to help them grow and also an outstanding researcher who made an impact in my field
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🎙 About Sofiat
Dr Sofiat Olaosebikan is a Lecturer in the School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. In 2018, Sofiat started the Computer Science Academy Africa (CSA Africa) initiative to empower young Africans with computing skills. So far, Sofiat and her team have received funding of up to £120,000, which has enabled them train over 500 participants via their Python programming workshops in Nigeria (2018 and 2022), Rwanda (2019), and online (2021). In recognition of the transformational change engineered by this initiative, Sofiat was named as a Future World Changer by the University of Glasgow in 2018. In addition, she was recently selected as one of the Highly Commended Finalists, Top 50 Women in Engineering 2022: Inventors and Innovators - awarded by the Womens' Engineering Society. She received her PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2020, an MSc from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Ghana in 2015, and a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2012. Sofiat’s research interests broadly spans algorithm design using graph theory, computational complexity, optimisation, as well as software engineering. Her ongoing work focusses on the design of efficient algorithms for problems in matching theory as well as in engineering. She has published her research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and she has presented her work at several international conferences.
🔗 Connect with Sofiat
🌐 LinkedIn | 🐦 Twitter
🧰 Resources mentioned
Books: Deep work by Cal Newport
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