Forging her own path
“When I got my acceptance letter from Mount Holyoke, it felt like I was being introduced to a community that genuinely wanted me to be part of it,” said Mount Holyoke College senior Emmanuella Umoye ’25.
Emmanuella Umoye ’25 does not consider herself a spontaneous person. But when it came to her study abroad plans, she waited to apply until 11 pm on the day applications were due. She didn’t tell any of her close friends or family about her plans to study abroad in Budapest, Hungary until she had applied for her visa.
“I didn’t want anyone to discourage me from applying or going,” she explained. “I’ve always had such rigid and clear plans for my life. This was the first time I did something truly spontaneous and for myself. The whole experience gave me the courage to reflect on who I want to be for myself and to forge my own path.”
Before she ended up in Budapest, she started the early stages of forging her own path by deciding to attend Mount Holyoke as an international student from Lagos, Nigeria, without visiting the campus first. She chose the College because of its tight-knit, gender-diverse community and small class sizes, which allowed her to build close connections with professors.
“When I got my acceptance letter from Mount Holyoke, I felt so honored and warm — it felt like I was being introduced to a community that genuinely wanted me to be part of it,” she said.
A double major in computer science and psychology, Umoye has always been interested in science and people. “My friends used to call me their therapist,” she joked. “Psychology was the closest I could get to understanding human behavior. I didn’t even know what computer science [CS] was until after high school! But I wanted to challenge myself mentally, and CS gave me a way to build things with my hands and head.”
Her curiosity led her to impactful roles both in and out of the classroom. She has served as a teaching assistant in psychology and computer science courses since her second year — an experience she said helped her grow tremendously. She also found joy in building community through leadership roles in student organizations. She was the program assistant and building manager for the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center, where she planned events that supported and uplifted fellow students. Additionally, she contributed to the Psychology Association as events chair and worked on the web development team for the Computer Science Society.
“Being able to mentor and support students as a teaching assistant and in leadership roles on campus taught me empathy, compassion and patience. I got to work closely with professors and staff and saw firsthand how deeply they cared about students’ success,” Umoye said.
That same curiosity and desire to grow drove her to finally say yes to studying abroad. During the 2024 fall semester, Umoye traveled to Budapest to dive deeper into computer science at Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT), a program she found through the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives. Thanks to Mount Holyoke’s Laurel Fellowship and financial aid that extended to overseas studies, she could say yes to the experience without hesitation. Umoye says that choosing to study abroad in Hungary was truly a rewarding experience. The time abroad helped her rethink her career path and the pressure she had placed on herself to define it early.
“It was so revealing. I began to think about who I wanted to be and where I wanted to be in life,” she said. “I learned I don’t need to have it all figured out, and the experience allowed me to be [open] to multiple opportunities. Life is about the journey.”
After graduation, Umoye will move to Seattle to begin a new chapter as a software engineer at Oracle. In the long term, she’s considering pursuing a graduate degree.
Of all the things she’s learned during her time at MHC, Umoye says the advice she received early in her college career from Professor of Computer Science Audrey St. John has had the greatest impact on shaping her experience and perspective.
“One day after class, she pulled me aside and said, ‘I like the way you ask questions. You’re always so curious. Please keep asking.’” For Umoye, that affirmation was life-changing. “In Nigerian culture, you’re expected to go with the flow. To have someone encourage my curiosity made me more willing to ask questions and try new things to learn and grow. Mount Holyoke helped me see that I don’t have to choose just one path. It’s okay to explore and evolve.”
