Who is Kojo?

Preparing for Lift-Off

I’m a first-generation college graduate raised in Arlington, Texas but I’ve also lived in Kumasi, Ghana, and Gaithersburg, Maryland where I attended high-school. Growing up as a kid, I was not as involved with the traditional rocket-building projects that other kids had access to. As a student, I would always wonder how to model a functioning, human brain in space. This influenced me to receive a degree in biomedical engineering with minors in both electrical engineering and mathematics from the University of North Texas (UNT) known for its materials sciences program and NASA funded research projects. My sci-fi persona was another root-cause to build interest for neural implants, synthetic biology and the passion for space made me reach for the stars. 

My background in space consists of my tenure as the Vice-Chair Board of Directors with Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS-USA), which is the largest student-run, STEAM organization in the world. SEDS-USA, under my leadership, invested in diversifying the students and young professionals within the space industry not just through ethnicity, but gender and major. I co-led efforts on the development of the Artemis Student Ambassador Program, SEDS-USA CubeSat Launch Initiative, and numerous major strategic partnerships including a Space Act Agreement focused on providing NASA with insight and feedback into student engagement and streamlined resource access to higher education students.

In January 2020 I was selected as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Diversity Scholar for the Sci-Tech 2020 conference. As an ambassador for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Aerospace Special Interest Group (ASIG) I’m using lessons learned from my own experience as a student and leader of SEDS-USA to facilitate more opportunities for students in NSBE interested in aerospace. With all these experiences I was given an opportunity to further give back to the aerospace community to inspire students and young professionals alike. I’m a Zed Factor Fellowship Founding partner, where I now empower, engage, and inspire young professionals from underrepresented backgrounds through practical hands-on experiences, leadership training, and community service projects geared towards aerospace communities.

Please visit the Zed Factor Fellowship page in support of what we’re hoping to achieve with the aerospace community.