17-year-old Nigerian awarded full scholarships to study software engineering

Emmanuela Ilok, a 17-year-old student, has received full scholarships to study Software Engineering from some of the world’s most famous colleges, including Stanford, MIT, Yale, UPenn, Princeton, and Columbia.

Alex Onyia, an education activist and CEO of Educare, posted about Ilok’s accomplishments on his X page on Sunday.

“This is Emmanuela Ilok, the brilliant 17-year-old who received full scholarships to study Software Engineering at Stanford, MIT, Yale, UPenn, Princeton, and Columbia University,” said Onyia.

According to him, Ilok’s academic prowess has already earned her national recognition, as the British Council named her the best in Nigeria for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education.

Onyia also noted that Ilok developed software that uses Machine Learning to detect breast cancer in women, with an impressive 91% detection accuracy.

He wrote, “She built a software that uses Machine Learning to detect breast cancer in women and so far it has 91% detection accuracy.”

Onyia, who hosted a virtual meeting for Ilok to speak with Nigerian students and guide them on how to prepare for and access such opportunities on Sunday, was left awestruck by her potential.

“I spent over an hour listening to her today, and I can tell you that we have a superstar in her,” he said.

Onyia further emphasised the need to identify and nurture such exceptional talents, stating, “We have many hidden Emmanuelas in Nigeria, and we need to discover and support them. It’s time for Nigeria to shine.”