Vincent Nwagwu Ume-Ezeoke’s last name is hard for some of us to pronounce, but that’s OK. Just mention the name “Vincent” and everyone in ME knows exactly who you are talking about! Vincent is a rising ME senior at TU. Vincent is also a defensive lineman on the football team and recently created a new student organization called ARK to inspire excellence and professional development for his peers. You can read more about ARK here. Professor William LePage and Vincent chatted about ARK and Vincent’s TU experiences this summer, and here’s what Vincent had to say.
William LePage: What made you decide to come to TU, and to major in mechanical engineering?
Vincent Nwagwu Ume-Ezeoke: I came to The University of Tulsa to major in mechanical engineering because Tulsa’s ME Department is world-renowned and still retains that small class size. Through this combination, I am able to get the help I need and build a real bond with these super-intelligent teachers.
WL: What motivated you to start ARK?
VNU: I started ARK because I wanted to give my peers a chance to experience some of the activities we may have missed out on due to COVID-19. After missing out on that semester and a half, I knew it was important for my class to restrengthen our bonds as we would soon be entering my classes that needed us to work together and understand each other. Therefore, by building this organization I was able to give everyone a chance at further communication and more hands-on experience.
WL: What does ARK stand for?
VNU: ARK stands for All Recesses of Knowledge, this means that even though mechanical engineering is our foundation, we are looking toward spreading our roots to every discipline of education we can.
WL: What has been your proudest accomplishment for ARK so far?
VNU: The proudest accomplishment would be the success of the Mechanical Engineering Celebration Dinner. It showed that different mechanical organizations can work together in union to hold a great event. Also seeing all of my graduating seniors one last time really touched my heart. Thank you for attending and we hope to see you there next year!
WL: What dreams do you have for ARK in the next year? Five years?
VNU: Well my dream for ARK is extremely big right now, go big or go home right? So next year I want to use ARK to host TU’s first ECS fair. This way ECS students who are interested in joining clubs that have to do with their major can come and see exclusively that. A goal for the next five years would be to have the Mechanical Engineering Project Contest be an intercollegiate event. This means we would have projects from OSU, OU, Arkansas, etc., at the venue.