Omowale Casselle

Omowale Casselle

Director of Pritzker Tech Talent Labs


Discovery Partners Institute

San Diego, CA USA


Having a continuous curiosity about the world around you, that’s what makes a life well lived.

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By Roadtrip Nation

Omowale Casselle

Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.
I knew early on that I wanted to go into the automotive industry and work for Ford Motor Company specifically, so I gravitated towards classes that involved science, technology, and mathematics.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as my master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.
I joined Ford Motor Company as part of the product development team, where I developed safety control system technology for Ford vehicles.
After a few years with Ford Motor Company, I co-founded mySenSay, a social recruiting platform designed to connect entry-level employers with college students.
I then went on to lead the development and management of SAMPLEit, an interactive advertising and marketing platform.
After five years leading the technical team for SAMPLEit, I co-founded Digital Adventures, an education technology company focused on teaching kids how to code and build with technology.
In addition to leading Digital Adventures as CEO, I also work as the director of Pritzker Tech Talent Labs at Discover Partners Institute within the University of Illinois.
Keep following my journey

Education

High School
Bachelor
Mechanical Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate
Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan
Graduate
Business Administration
Harvard Business School

Career

Director of Pritzker Tech Talent Labs

I work to bring more people into tech, especially those from underrepresented groups.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Education
Problem Solving

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for high school students

Take classes in technology and work on your problem-solving skills. Take coding classes as well as classes that will help you understand how technology works and how to create it. Even if you don't ultimately become a creator of technology, I believe that learning these skills will set you up for success in the long run.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

undergrad
Bachelor
Mechanical Engineering
graduate
Graduate
Mechanical Engineering
graduate
Graduate
Business Administration

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"What are you going to do when you grow up? You need to pick something."