How I became one of Canada’s 150 most influential black woman —32-year -old Olubamiji
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Adeola Olubamiji recently achieved fame by working her way up from a very lowly beginning to emerge as the first black woman to obtain a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. In this online interview with LAOLU HAROLDS, she shares her success story and future plans.
Could you tell us a little about your growing up days, your experiences, and, especially, how those experiences affected your goals setting and passion to succeed?
I was born on April 3, 1985, as the last of five children to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac and Juliana Olubamiji in Ibadan. My parents are originally from Ijare in Ifedore Local Government, Ondo State. I attended Alafia Primary School, and Saint Gabriel’s Secondary Commercial School, Ibadan. While growing up, my dad was a beer wholesaler, and my mom had a shop where she sold pepper and other groceries. Although we are a working class, perhaps lower middle-class family, we didn’t have much, and all five of us children had to hawk pepper when we were not in school to support my mother’s business. My parents strived to give us what they didn’t have (education).
What influenced me? I had my siblings to look up to. My eldest brother, Foluso Olubamiji, who is a mechanical engineer, is my first mentor and my first mathematics and physics teacher. Then, Dayo Olubamiji (my next elder brother) was and is still my best friend. My parent’s second child, Kolawole Olubamiji, was the loving one who bought the girls gifts and my sister helped straighten me up into being a smart girl.
At a very young age, I was aware of the impact of education. Therefore, I had an instinct that I could take my parents out of poverty by excelling and being an academic success.
Most people with your kind of background, when they eventually get a chance to go for university education, opt for the next available ‘cheap’ or less intellectually tasking course of study. Why did you opt for the sciences?
My father is from a well-educated extended family, although he was unable to attain tertiary education. He always regaled us with stories of his cousins, uncles and other relatives who had the opportunity of higher education. It so happened that one of his close family members, Professor Abiodun Francis Oluwole, is a Professor of Nuclear Physics, and my dad had his photograph and that of his other family members hung on the wall in our living room. At every opportunity my dad got, he explained to us how they all grew up together in Ijare and how education took them to greater heights than him. My father’s passion for educational success greatly influenced me as I was, directly and indirectly, looking up to a time to make him proud by being one of those successful people. Meanwhile, I love mathematics and physics, so I ended up following the footpath of the Professor of Physics to obtain a BSc in Physics with Electronics.
You had your Master’s degree in Finland and doctorate in Canada. Having experienced studying in Nigeria, what factors would you say make it easier (or harder, if it is) to excel in those places than your home country?
Back in Nigeria, it was easy to be lazy as I could depend on my parents and other known people for food, shelter, and money. Interestingly, having to look out for myself in Finland and Canada made me stronger, independent, alert, and I learnt a lot of DIYs (Do It Yourself). For example, I learnt how to plait my hair because I had no one to help me, and could not afford to pay $50-$100 to get my hair done. Then, those who saw the hair asked me to plait theirs; and from there, I started making money from hairdressing. The fact that I could not fall back on anyone, the high expectations of people back home made me learn to give life a good fight.
Can you utilize your skill as a Biomedical Engineer in Nigeria, and do you see this as a need for Nigeria?
Biomedical Engineering has several branches, and I have focused all along on areas such as Medical Physics and Imaging, Material Research and Manufacturing, and e-Health and Telemedicine. First, Additive Manufacturing/3D-printing is currently revolutionizing metal and plastic production in manufacturing industries such as medical devices, orthopedics, aerospace, oil and gas, automobile and so on in the first world. The 3D-printing packages: design engineering, topology optimization, mechanical testing, manufacturing of parts, part and powder characterization and inspection/non-destructive testing are transferable from industry to industry and from country to country.
For example, I am currently the Team Lead Metallurgist/Additive Manufacturing Engineer at Burloak Technologies, a first-class technology company geared towards plastic and metal manufacturing for aerospace applications. I am also acquiring more knowledge and practical-based skills that can be transferred to any country to bring about large numbers of high paying jobs for all classes of people and revolutionize production capacity of a country like Nigeria. Yes, I can utilize my skills in Nigeria.
What doors of opportunities has this feat opened to you?
During the celebration of Canada 150 years of confederation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation featured 150 black women who are making Canada better, and I am happy to be among the top five from coast-to-coast of Canada. Also, I have received several public speaking offers focused on technology and innovation panel discussions, science outreach, youth empowerment, women empowerment, mentorship and so on.
In what ways do you plan to influence people growing up in Nigeria the way you did to achieve their dreams?
If given a chance, my team is capable and able to bring 3D-printing technology to the manufacturing sector in Nigeria through Nigerian universities and research centres where young professionals can be empowered. Nigeria has arrived too late to the game of technology, and if we don’t start now, we will still not be able to produce pencils in 10 years. We can also (pioneer) Electronic Health Records for Nigerian health providers (hospitals). This will enable health provides have reliable access to complete patient health information for safe and effective care, when and where it is needed, to make decisions.
We can also bring science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach programmes to Nigerian cities for our secondary school students. Since kids learn by doing, we have to provide an avenue for them to connect the theoretical science taught in school with practical science that results from these theories. We can bring mentorship programmes for our youths and women. With no disrespect, our girls look up to people who make education look ‘old school’, who make science look too hard, abstract and for the exceptional ones. Africa as a continent needs to start projecting and investing in productive education and technology aside entertainment, fashion, and cosmetic

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