Worldly Scholar Creating His Own Path
OU Junior Robert Bob Okello begins each day with reflection and gratitude. Then he heads off to his challenging classes for his major, African Development Engineering — a degree he created himself. When he graduates, he will be the first OU student to earn this achievement, forging a path for others and inspiring them along the way. Charting his own course is nothing new for this first- generation college student.
Hailing from a small village in Uganda called Barlwala, Okello is the fifth of seven children. His father, now retired, worked with the Uganda prison service, retiring over two years ago, and his mother runs a few small businesses from home. Okello recalls his parents always working hard and making sacrifices to ensure he and his siblings received good schooling. They believed in the power of knowledge.
When his primary education (grades one through seven) was almost complete, Okello turned his focus to secondary education (equivalent to high school), but not without a heavy heart: he worried about the expense of education for his family. Unsure of his future, he thought further pursuit of advanced studies might not be possible for him. However, those worries soon eased as the headmaster of his primary school approached him about a new opportunity. A very prestigious school, located in Uganda’s capital of Kampala, was awarding scholarships based on outstanding academic performance, and the headmaster recommended Okello look into applying — and quickly, because the deadline approached.
Okello applied, and it was only a matter of time before he received the answer he had been hoping for: he’d won a full-ride scholarship for the next four years. He packed his bags for the Light Academy, located nearly 212 miles away. For the first time ever, he was leaving the comfort zone of his hometown, Lira, and the close proximity of his family. “Moving to a new area was a unique experience for me, but I had previously attended boarding school and believe it helped prepare me for this moment,” he said. “I remember when my parents dropped me off at boarding school — I cried!” Thankfully, this transition was a little easier in part due to old friends old and , building new friends, advances in technology and the presence of Okello’s oldest brother, who also lived in Kampala. It felt like a home away from home, and things sailed along, until a fateful day arrived that changed Okello’s trajectory.
At age 16-years old, Okello remembers heading back to school after a trip home to visit his family. Boarding his bus, he saw an empty seat at the front and debated in his mind if he wanted the window view. Deciding no, he opted instead for an aisle seat in the back where he could stretch out his tall frame. Lulled to sleep by the open road, he abruptly woke from what he thought was a dream, but in reality was a nightmare. They had crashed head on with a truck driving in the opposite direction. Seven people aboard the bus died, mostly all those who sat at the front. Feeling sadness,While deeply shaken and saddened by the events, Okello was definitely shaken by the events, but Okello was luckily he was not injured. Thoughts raced through his mind and he wondered, “How did I not get a scratch?” He determined that “it was a miracle,” and walked away from that accident with a newfound perspective on life, seeing each day as an opportunity to be purposeful. Today, he lives life by a mission statement: “If I should be remembered for anything, base it on how many lives I touched,” he said with a smile.
After graduating from high school, Okello became a Davis United World College (UWC) Scholar at OU. Started in 2000, it is the biggest international scholarship program and privately funded. The scholars, selected by independent committees in their home countries, are chosen to complete their last two years of high school at one of 17 different UWC schools located across five continents, before moving on to an approved Davis UWC Scholars Program Partner university of their choice. All of this is paid in full for the student. Okello completed his studies at the UWC Red Cross Nordic, Norway, before making the move to Norman, OK. He already knew specifically what he wanted to do in the future, and with the help of an OU advisor, he built a degree program to encompass his interests — engineering with a combination of business and entrepreneurship, focused on development in Africa.
As graduation lingers on the horizon of in 2019, he is already putting his skills and abilities to use back home in Uganda. Two years ago, Okello created the nonprofit BINDEC Uganda, which stands for Business Incubation and Enterprise Development Center. Consisting of Okello and his eldest brother, along with a project manager, an operations director and an accountant, BINDEC creates empowered and sustainable Ugandan communities through skills training, financial support and networking opportunities to aid the fight against poverty. For example, they provide skills training for agribusinesses such as poultry farmers, awarding funding to them in the form of interest free loans from social investors, and matching the local farmers with businesses, such as restaurants, in need of their products.
In the summer of 2017, Okello launched a new venture in partnership with BINDEC: a computer literacy center in his home community. With over half of the population in Uganda under the age of 18 and the area experiencing an unemployment rate over 60 percent, Okello knows firsthand the lack of computer skills available to this demographic. “Internet is a precious resource,” he said, and many students do not have access to computers at home or school. His learning lab, selected for funding through the Davis UWC Scholars’ Projects for Peace program, features 10 computers with, Internet access, as well as trainings from student volunteers and eventually full-time instructors.
“In life, it is easy to focus on the negatives, but focusing on the positives is far better,” said Okello. “I am grateful for the UWC Community at OU and the special sense of belonging it has provided me. The University of Oklahoma has helped me discover myself and how I can contribute and make an impact in many ways.”
After graduation, his plan is to “get out in the community and start doing stuff!” He thinks about getting a master’s degree and then his PhD at some point, but not just for the sake of going to school. He says it has to be to fulfill a knowledge gap that allows him to make even more of an impact.
“I believe the most meaningful life lived is one lived for others.”
This story was originally published in: Compass: An International Profile: 2017
