For as long as she can remember, Ugochi Nicole Ugbomeh has had a strong interest in coding and computers. A software enthusiast, she always found herself building and repairing programs, but a hesitation caused her to study geology rather than pursue work in IT. But even as an undergrad, her friends knew her as the “computer fix-it girl.”
Ugochi found her second chance, however, when as a grad student she pursued her love of information technology. She especially loves front-end Web languages, HTML5 and CSS3 because they give her the opportunity to communicate ideas and understand the development aspect of programs.
Currently, Ugochi is a performance analyst in a customer experience company by day and co-founder of Interactive Shack by night (and weekends), a company that aims to build beautiful and interactive Internet solutions. Through Interactive Shack, she’s had the chance to build a sound-based navigational map system, worked with a team on a Twitter widget and numerous websites and Java projects—and what’s probably known as her biggest career achievement to date: Nigeria’s first online taxi booking service with more than 200 licensed cabs currently registered on the platform. TaxiPark, which was selected as one of the 14 startups to pitch at the SeedStars event in Lagos, Nigeria, is a Web and mobile application that allows both passengers and drivers a more reliable, user-friendly and safe way to move around their city.
“I’m fortunate to be passionate about what I do, because it never feels like work,” Ugochi says. “I get paid to hang out with my computer and create things using beautiful languages.”