Oma Ejilemele is a mechanical engineer on Oceaneering’s Small Vehicles team. Oma originally came to Oceaneering as an intern. Early on, Oma had set her career sights on becoming an architect before deciding on engineering.
“I was intrigued by the aesthetically pleasing buildings I saw on my travels,” she said. “I wanted a shot at creating ones like those. However, I realized that I wanted to make other aesthetically pleasing and functional things.
“Engineering seemed like a space that was broad enough to explore this desire.”
Oma has found that a career in engineering can be gratifying.
“Being an engineer has equipped me with knowledge that can help others tremendously,” she said. “It is rewarding to contribute meaningfully to technological advancement in the world.”
Being an engineer also allows her to keep learning. She added, “Simple facts or concepts I have learned, or even overheard, have helped me figure out which approaches to problem solving work better than others.”
For Oma, the biggest challenge of being a black woman engineer has been dealing with the implicit biases of others.
“These have ranged from dealing with comments and assumptions about my hair, my name, and the music I listen to; to low expectations concerning my knowledge and quality of work,” she said. “To lessen the blow of these micro-aggressions, I have chosen to remind myself that I am capable and belong in this industry.”
Oma said that being a woman engineer at Oceaneering has been a “breath of fresh air” in some ways. “The engineers here are open minded and help create a conducive working environment for a young woman engineer like me,” she said.
Oma hopes to join the Oceaneering Women’s Network, but she said that surrounding herself with other women of color has proved to be a valuable resource to her.
“Doing this has not only helped to curb the manifestation of imposter syndrome, it has made me more productive because I spend less time worrying about others’ perceptions of me.”
Oma’s advice for the next generation of young women interested in engineering is to challenge themselves and remain confident in their abilities.
“Diversity and challenge are the best ways to grow,” she said.
“Push yourself – within reason – out of your comfort zone and expose yourself to different aspects of engineering.”
“Don’t forget humanities and the arts,” she adds. “Having some knowledge from these disciplines and how they intersect and influence technology will make you a much better engineer.”
“Most importantly, you are smart, and you can do this,” she said.
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