Voke Ogueh

Houston, TX | 7-12, Science, 2023

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

What motivates me is simple, I care, and then I care some more. I see in my students or the teachers I mentor what I wanted a mentor to see in me: someone worth believing in and pushing until the impossible feels within reach. I come from a family that values excellence and have a spouse who shares that drive, we push each other to grow and create a better world for our children and others. At the core of it all is faith in the journey, purpose, and passing on the love that shaped me.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

During the pandemic, I introduced my then 8th-grade daughter and her friends to CS via Codecademy and many other CS programs. What started as a way to keep them engaged turned into a spark. She later led Hour of Code events, presented AI policy at school, and inspired younger girls. Now, nearly five years later, she’s heading to MIT to study CS and Public Policy. Seeing her journey affirmed the lasting impact of planting a STEM seed and nurturing curiosity early. Many other stories of my students ranging from access to scholarships, resources, and careers in STEM due to taking my CS class further affirm this path of passion and care that led me here. The problem of access to STEM is very real, especially in underserved populations.

Using your platform as a Presidential Awardee, how do you hope to advance our nation in STEM?

As a Presidential Awardee, I hope to advance our nation in STEM through increased student interests and engagement to build creative solutions to problems within their spaces. By continuing to expand my partnerships with organizations that promote teacher mentorship in STEM, student creativity, and workforce readiness, I can continue to bridge the gap between schools and the real world so that our nation's future regardless of background can thrive in a constantly changing digital landscape.

Biography

Voke Ogueh is an educator and teacher mentor with over 20 years’ experience teaching mathematics and computer science (CS) at schools including Hightower, George Bush, and Hastings High School. At Hastings she taught Fundamentals of CS and Advanced Placement CS Principles to 9th-12th grade students. Voke fosters a dynamic, collaborative environment that motivates students to tackle challenges and value learning from errors. Her efforts to organize events like the REC Foundation Aerial Drone Competition, Hour of Code, and Day of AI have been instrumental in nurturing student confidence and skill. Voke's innovative teaching methods incorporate platforms such as Code.org and MIT App Inventor. As a mentor, she has guided numerous girls to achieve computing awards and scholarships. Voke is a co-founder of Waado, a non-profit dedicated to career and leadership mentoring, with a focus on young girls. Her influence extends across the U.S. and Africa, driven by her faith, family support, and passion for lifelong learning within professional mentorship communities such as Microsoft TEALS, WeTeach CS, and CSTA. Voke holds a B.S. in industrial mathematics from the University of Benin and an M.S. in pure and applied mathematics from Stephen F. Austin State University. She has mathematics, CS, and principal certifications. Voke has held various leadership roles, from Mathematics Department Head to AP Computer Science Principles Instructor, earning her Campus Teacher of the Year among other honors. Her dedication to education has been recognized by many including Amazon Future Engineer, National Center for Women & Information Technology Aspirations in Computing, CSTA and PAEMST.

High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

The views expressed in awardee profiles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or the PAEMST program.