Angela Okoro: Building Her Way to the Top

Angela Okoro, like many other Capitol students, set out on her educational journey early with big aspirations. She began fostering her passion for construction from the moment she developed the interest as a teen, which allowed her to gain a significant amount of experience and crucial industry knowledge before even graduating high school. Now, as a senior at Capitol Tech, Okoro will be not only the first female student to obtain a degree in Construction Management and Critical Infrastructure, but the first student overall to earn this degree.

Beginning in high school, Okoro joined an extracurricular group called “Project Lead The Way” (PLTW), a STEM club that provides hands-on learning opportunities for preK-12 students. Through PLTW, Okoro was exposed to industry-standard construction practices and building design software. She was instantly captivated, her intrigue growing with each mock project she worked on. After researching the field and learning about the different paths that were available, she knew that this was the area for her.

The combination of generous financial aid paired with a curriculum that hit every area of interest for Okoro was what helped her seal the deal to attend Capitol. “I compared Capitol to other universities saw that Capitol would be the one university to give me exactly what I wanted education-wise so that's why I came here!” she says. Although she initially began as a cybersecurity major in order to gain additional experience in a new area of study, she quickly realized it would be best to follow her true passion and switch to the Construction Management and Critical Infrastructure program. It ended up being the right decision, as her time at the university has afforded her various unique opportunities to help further her career.

In June 2021, Okoro began her first industry internship with Southway Builders, a Baltimore-based construction firm. Her wealth of knowledge from coursework at Capitol paired with her inquisitive, passionate nature made landing the job a simple and straightforward process. “Getting my first internship with Southway Builders was quite easy. I had done research on different general contractors in Maryland and I liked Southway Builders so I applied through their website. They contacted me within 2 weeks and after several interviews I was given the offer!” she recalls. After her internship concluded, she was able to snag a full-time role as a project administrator at another Baltimore-area firm. Plus, she already has yet another possible full-time opportunity lined up at Volvo in Operations Management for when she graduates, demonstrating the unique and varied career options available with a Construction Management degree.

Adding to her list of achievements, Okoro was recently featured on the “Build Your Path” podcast, hosted by Matthew Pyne, which tells the stories of various individuals in the construction industry. “I was invited by Mr. Gary Burke, the chair of my major at Capitol, to come and speak at the National Association of Women in Construction. This was a camp for girls in 7th-12th grade from Baltimore and surrounding areas to learn all about construction and related topics... Later on after that I was contacted by Jennifer Sproul and Matthew Pyne from MCCEI, who asked to feature me on a podcast to learn more about how I got into construction, what I’m
doing, and how I got to where I am,” she explains.

Perhaps the most important part of Okoro’s professional journey is the fact that through her love for what she does, she will pave the way for other students, especially women, to follow her footsteps. When she graduates in the spring of 2022, Okoro will be the first graduate of Capitol’s Construction Management and Critical Infrastructure program, and she couldn’t be more proud. “I feel elated,” she gushes, “Because there aren’t many women in construction, and I want to use this medium to encourage any female, or anyone really, who wants to pursue construction
that it’s not just all hard labor. It's also having the brains for construction and managing the process. So I definitely want to encourage others to go into construction, it’s just as much fun as you can imagine!”