We work closely with Female Strong and their YEA! Chicago program and wanted to celebrate a special YEA! alumna Olayinka (Ola) Adekola, the recipient of this year’s Jean Shuman Memorial Scholarship. The Jean Shuman Memorial Scholarship was established by Edgar Shuman and his family as a tribute to his late wife which is awarded to a YEA! Chicago student or alumna who embodies YEA! values and the integrity, courage, and skills necessary to thrive in business and life

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Ola to talk about what she’s currently up to, her experience with Female Strong/YEA!, and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.

Tell us about yourself! What’s your background? What are you currently up to?

My name is Olayinka Adekola, but I also go by Ola. I grew up in the South Side of Chicago and I think it's the best city in the world (I mean, I’m a little biased but I do).

I'm currently a sophomore at Stanford University studying Computer Science and African-American Studies. I have a passion for getting women of color involved in STEM because I think diversity in STEM is extremely important for the future. I think only good things come out of the intersection of diversity and STEM. I would say most of the work I do here is focused on that goal. Next year, I'll be the president of our Black in Computer Science group. I have a bunch of ideas for getting us involved with the California community and getting those people involved in computer science.

What was your experience with YEA!/Female Strong like? 

The Young Entrepreneur’s Academy of Chicago was really cool. I did it my junior year of high school, and it was really fundamental in giving me the foundation to pursue things I'm passionate about. I think I already came in with public speaking skills, but mainly YEA! allowed me to gain confidence in having an idea, working through that idea, and then presenting that idea to others to get them to believe in it too.

That was really cool because I had never forced myself to share my ideas before–not because of a lack of confidence, just a lack of understanding why it was important to do so. It was really important in giving me the confidence in myself to do something and say like, look, I have this really cool idea that I actually turned into something tangible. It was really important, especially when it came to other things like applying to colleges, applying for internships, and applying to be the president of our program. 

I know what I’m passionate about and I give it my all, but YEA! definitely showed me how to take advantage of any opportunities for growth. I try to improve upon that every day and apply it to different aspects of my life. 

Who do you admire? 

There's a lot of people to admire who are changing the world right now or at least putting themselves in positions to do good. Stacey Abrams, Sheila Lee, Kamala Harris. I don't know if I agree with everything they do, but I do admire their passion for improving the lives of people of color.

I also love Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce. I admire their drive, their dedication, and their creativity. I hope to–actually I will meet them one day. I think it's good to have people that I admire, but I don't know if I necessarily look up to anybody. I really believe in myself and hope that I get as far as I want to.

What are you currently working on? Do you have any plans for the immediate future?

I decided to take a step away from a corporate internship this summer. I'm going to teach computer science to girls and women of color. I'll be working on a couple of projects that are encouraging girls and women of color to get into STEM fields. I mean, I really just want to expose girls to individuals who look like them talking about things that are STEM-related–to know that if they want to pursue this path, it’s an option.

I'll also be the president of our Black in Computer Science Club. This includes coming up with ideas to use the institutional name of Stanford to provide opportunities to people who may not have them currently. That's my main focus for the next couple of years. I don't know what that means I'll be doing next year, but I know that this year I want to do a lot of volunteer work.

What's a piece of advice you would give to a future YEA! class or girls who want to get involved in business and STEM

I would view every opportunity as a stepping stone to wherever you want to go, even if you don't know exactly where it’s taking you (I'm going to coin that phrase). You may do this program and have a great time and your business may be super successful–it’s possible. If anything, view it as an opportunity to grow, meet people, and have fun. You can put it on your college applications or talk about it in an interview, but more than anything, view it as an opportunity to grow yourself into the person you want to become.

 What do you, you know, what do you just do for fun? What do you do in your spare time? 

I love water sports such as wakeboarding, surfing, and swimming. Anything in the water. I'm in California so I have access to a lot of that and with the Redwood trees you can also go zip-lining which I love.

I like anything that lets me be creative and spend time with my friends. Also, I don't know if this is a hobby, but every day I actively try to be better than the version of me before.

Congratulations, Ola! Your story and passion for improving the lives of others are truly inspiring. We can’t wait to see you continue to slay.

Check out Female Strong’s website for more information about the Jean Shuman Memorial Scholarship, registration for YEA!, and professional development opportunities at www.femalestrong.org.