Building more than a degree
by Nathaniel Miller
Nnamdi “Jesse” Onwuzurike knew he would be a Rattler ever since his oldest sister first attended St. Mary’s University in 2011.
That didn’t change when his three other sisters attended the University.
The youngest of five children, and the only male sibling, he is the last one to graduate from the University, earning his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering during Saturday’s Commencement.
“I was 7 years old when I came to help drop my oldest sister off at college,” he said. “It’s been cool being a student here and getting to use all the facilities I wanted to use since I was a kid.”
Since arriving at St. Mary’s in 2022 from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Onwuzurike knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. But while his father is a petroleum engineer, the self-proclaimed “nerd” found himself drawn to computers.
His Engineering Senior Design Project — a two-semester effort supervised by St. Mary’s faculty and engineers from the sponsoring organization — involved the creation of an indoor navigation system using ultrasound systems for autonomous vehicles when GPS is less than reliable.
It was also designed to be cost-effective and open source.
“It cost me about $52 to build everything,” Onwuzurike said. “That and lots of blood, sweat and tears.”
Since his initial visit in 2011, the welcoming atmosphere of the St. Mary’s community was something that stuck out to Onwuzurike. It’s something he heavily experienced while living on campus.
When not in the classroom (where he’s a member of the Honors Program), there isn’t a place on campus he can walk through without several people stopping him to say hello and chat.
Onwuzurike also became much stronger in his faith at St. Mary’s, an extension of a promise he made to his mother that we would continue attending church while away from home.
He also fell in love with photography, a passion he never knew he had until he picked up a camera in 2024. The staff at the Academic Media Center in the Charles L. Cotrell Learning Commons helped him understand the different Adobe programs to edit photos.
Nnamdi “Jesse” Onwuzurike“This community has become my home. Anytime I fill out forms, my address is One Camino Santa Maria. This is my home.”
Wanting others to feel as welcomed as possible, Onwuzurike also served as a Zaragoza Leader for the annual student orientation.
“It’s been great meeting new students and having an impact on their lives,” he said. “Most people can be scared of college, so having that chance to ease them in has been rewarding.”
Lecturer of Engineering Ben Abbott, Ph.D., said Onwuzurike’s work ethic, creativity and ability to bring out the best in his classmates make him a great example of what makes St. Mary’s servant leaders.
“Jesse’s spirit is beautiful in that it not only stands out technically as an innovative engineer, but he also has a keen awareness of others in the world around him,” Abbott said.
Still deciding on his post-graduate options, there’s one thing Onwuzurike knows for sure: leaving St. Mary’s may be harder than any class he’s taken.
“This community has become my home,” he said. “Anytime I fill out forms, my address is One Camino Santa Maria. This is my home.”
