CCI doctoral student receives Google scholarship

Emmanuel Bello-Ogunu, a doctoral student in the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI), is the 2013-14 recipient of a Google United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Scholarship. This $10,000 award, funded in part by the UNCF, is presented annually to a select group of African American students pursuing a computer science/engineering degree.

“Having such substantial financial support will certainly propel me further toward my goals than I ever would have imagined,” said Bello-Ogunu. “I honestly felt like I had won the lottery upon receiving the news. Yet, these words cannot capture the excitement that I have about this opportunity, as the scholarship will make a huge difference in my first year in the doctoral program.”

The scholarship demonstrates a commitment by Google and the UNCF to help innovators of the future make the most of their talents. More than 4,000 individuals nationwide applied for the scholarship.

In addition to the award, Bello-Ogunu was invited to attend the all-expenses paid annual Google Scholars’ Retreat at Googleplex in Mountain View, Calif., later this year.

Bello-Ogunu earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Notre Dame, before joining the graduate program in the CCI Department of Software and Information Systems. He completed a master’s degree in information technology, specializing in information assurance in 2012. He began his doctoral studies in 2013. Currently, he is researching mobile application security and privacy, under advisement from associate professor Mohamed Shehab, and he is serving as a Graduate Life Fellow in the Graduate School’s Center for Graduate Life.