A Nigerian mother who became the first black woman to earn a PhD in pure mathematics from the University of South Africa broke a 149-year-old curse (UNISA).
She went by the name Professor Oghenetega Ighedo and claimed that her mother, a former math teacher, served as an inspiration for her journey into the field of mathematics.
Prof. Ighedo outlined how her mother’s teaching style won her over to the subject and further piqued her interest in trying to follow the same path.
Prof. Ighedo said there were two things that drove her to pursue a career in pure mathematics.
She said in a post shared by Women Power Africa, “My decision to study pure mathematics was also motivated by the fact that not only are there few black pure mathematicians, but there are fewer black women who are pure mathematicians.
She claimed that when she began her PhD, she was married, already had two children, and was expecting her third child.
I was able to finish my PhD in three years despite being a wife and mother, the professor said.
Prof. Ighedo graduated from Delta State University in Nigeria with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Industrial
Mathematics.
She has an MSc in Pure Mathematics from the University of Ibadan as well.
As an associate professor at the University of South Africa’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, she advises “women not to let adversity and challenges deter them.”
“Pure mathematics is the study of the fundamental concepts and structures that underlie mathematics,” claims Mit Mathematics. Its goal is to discover new insights and broaden our understanding of mathematics.
In describing this branch of mathematics, the University of Waterloo stated that although what is “pure” in one era frequently becomes applied later, it has been described as “that part of mathematical activity that is done without explicit or immediate consideration of the direct application.”
“At the present time, significant applications of pure mathematics are found in the fields of finance and cryptography.”
12-year-old JSS1 student is admitted to a university in Nigeria
A 12-year-old girl who is exceptionally smart has already been admitted to the university before completing her post-primary schooling.
Miss Jessica Okonye, 12, has been given the opportunity to enrol as an auditor student at the Admiralty University of Nigeria (ADUN), Delta State.
The university professors were moved by the JSS1 girl’s brilliance and intelligence, and they granted her admission as a result.