By day, Chioma Nwakalor is a quality engineer with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fluid control systems. In her downtime, she pursues an MBA in business analytics at UNC Pembroke.

Nwakalor’s professional success didn’t come without challenges. And, statistically, her accomplishments are rare considering African American, female mechanical engineers make up less than 2% of the engineering workforce. Nwakalor excelled in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) from a young age, growing up in Lagos, Nigeria. However, as an aspiring engineer, she was discouraged by the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the field.

While pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UNC Charlotte, she couldn’t escape the isolating feeling of being the only Black female in her engineering classes. 

“It was difficult to decide if I wanted to go this route,” Nwakalor said. “I had feelings that I didn't belong in the program.”

She refused to give up on her dream, joining student organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers, where she developed bonds with other aspiring engineers. 

“I was able to connect with other engineers like me and gain support to keep progressing,” she said. “Another challenge I faced was the constant pressure I placed on myself to work harder than my peers to prove myself. There is a prevalent stereotype that generally underestimates the abilities or knowledge of Black women in engineering.”

Nwakalor earned a degree in biomedical engineering in 2020 and, shortly after, accepted a position as a quality engineer with Burkert and enrolled at UNCP to pursue graduate studies. She was recently awarded the 2024 North Carolina HBCU/MSI Transportation and Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Scholarship. She is on track to graduate from UNCP in December.

Today, Nwakalor uses her journey of perseverance to inspire young Black girls in high schools near her hometown of Charlotte, where she serves as a mentor and tutor.

“Ultimately, I decided to be a source of inspiration, a leader and a role model for young girls facing similar challenges.”