Meet a graduating engineering student combining his technical expertise with his leadership skills

As he prepares to graduate next month, Case Western Reserve University undergraduate Amadosi Ologunja has promising leadership potential in the engineering field, pairing his Case School of Engineering education with experience gained working outside of the classroom.

Even before arriving at CWRU, Ologunja was recognized for his leadership potential. Hailing from The Bronx in New York City, he was selected for the inaugural Presidents Leadership Development Program. Ologunja credits the program with the strides he’s made in the past four years.

“Case School of Engineering has given me the technical foundation to succeed, but the President’s Leadership Development Program has helped me learn how to work with people and how to lead with intention,” Ologunja said. “The experiences I have had in this program have shaped how I think about leadership, whether that’s in a student organization, a professional setting, or in my community.”

He combined those takeaways with his work with several on-campus student organizations. In particular, he emphasized community building through his work as community outreach chair and secretary of The Brotherhood, treasurer for the Nigerian Student Association, and involvement with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).

Engagement and building positivity was an important part of Ologunja’s campus experience.

“Being engaged has helped me to build relationships, mentors and experiences that have shaped who I am. If my success with the CWRU community can help another student feel more confident being involved in CWRU, that matters to me a whole lot,” he said.

Ologunja further prepared for his future career in aerospace and mechanical engineering at an internship with R.E. Warner & Associates, where he shadowed licensed engineers and watched projects transform from concept to execution in a professional consulting environment.

A bulk of his work included editing and updating substation documentation to ensure accuracy and standardization.

“That internship gave me a much clearer picture of the responsibility that comes with being an engineer and why the fundamentals I have been building at CWRU actually matter in the real world,” he said. 

After graduation, Ologunja intends to work in the automotive or aerospace industries. But his education isn’t complete. He intends to eventually pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in addition to an MBA to further meld his engineering knowledge with his leadership skills.

Learn more about Ologunja.

Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

1. What initially drew you to CWRU?

What drew me to CWRU was the strength of the engineering program and its continuous growth and evolution. Case Western [Reserve] has a reputation for producing engineers who are successful in what they do, and I knew I needed to be somewhere that was going to challenge me and prepare me to grow at a high level. I wanted a place where I could grow technically and also become someone who could lead and make an impact, and CWRU offered both of these things. 

2. What about the President's Leadership Development Program appealed to you?

What stood out to me about this program is that it felt like a genuine investment to who I am as a person and a leader. The idea that I would be surrounded by other students who were equally passionate about leadership was exciting to me, even though we come from different backgrounds and fields of study. Leadership is something that has always been important to me, and being able to develop alongside a cohort of people who genuinely care about doing something meaningful made it feel like the right fit for me. 

3. What is your fondest memory from the program?

My fondest memory from the program was our first retreat that we had with the Emerging Leaders Program. It was an overnight trip, where we engaged in a lot of team building activities and growth in leadership. I had to take risks, along with my cohort in high ropes courses and doing activities that I was not comfortable with. My cohort encouraging me to do things that I haven’t done before allowed me to grow and step out of my comfort zone. This experience was something that made me know this was something that I wanted to be a part of for the next four years. 

4. What drew you to engineering—and more specifically, mechanical and aerospace engineering?

I’ve always been drawn to how things work and understanding the mechanics behind systems and why they function the way that they do. Engineering felt like the most natural path for me because it has a sense of accountability, and the things that I work on have an effect on others. Mechanical engineering specifically gave me the platform to understand physical systems, materials, and designs in the field.

5. What have your student organization leadership experiences meant to you?

These experiences have meant a lot to me, especially my involvement in NSBE and The Brotherhood because they gave me a sense of belonging in the community. These roles have taught me things about leadership that just being in an academic setting would not. 

Being responsible for a budget, organizing outreach events, and getting to know a community has helped me to develop skills in communication, accountability, and adaptability. These experiences have made me a better engineer because they have made me a more thoughtful person and how my actions impact those around me.