I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, with a passion for exploring new ideas from an early age. This curiosity eventually led me into the world of AI, starting with my bachelor's degree in Linguistics, where I began exploring speech technologies.

Unfortunately, back then, my university’s language lab had no functional facilities to enhance our studying, so much of what was taught was theoretical rather than practical.

After completing my studies and working for a while, I moved to Tübingen, Germany to join my husband and began a master’s in Linguistics. It was a whole new experience, as I initially struggled with the drastic weather changes and the challenge of learning a new language.

Two semesters into my master’s degree, I was introduced to the ReDI School of Digital Integration. The school partnered with Cisco’s Networking Academy to offer several tech courses to women of migration backgrounds looking to join the tech field.

The school offered courses like Cybersecurity, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Web Design with JavaScript and React, and many more. The courses were incredibly practical and hands-on. Instructors encouraged maximum participation, which was exactly what I had been missing in my earlier studies.

That sparked a real interest in tech for me, and I decided to enroll in a second master’s degree in computational linguistics alongside my existing studies. It was exciting, as I was really delving into practical applications of computational linguistics for the first time.

Upon completion of my course work, I needed to do an internship to fulfill the requirements for a master’s degree. After telling a close staff member of the ReDI School, I was informed of an internship opportunity and mentorship program that was coming up with the Cisco Germany Executive Leadership Team. I applied and was paired with Petra Ahlert, a leader of the Germany Marketing team, for the mentorship program.

My internship began with the German Global Virtual Sales (GVSE) team. My primary responsibility was to collaborate with the marketing team to streamline workflows for account managers using AI solutions.

As time went on, my internship was extended and I was given the opportunity to continue my tasks but this time with the Digital Marketing team. I partnered with the Marketing Operations and Insights and Analytics teams, opening up new opportunities.

By this point in my internship, I had developed a natural language processing system capable of language detection, topic detection, sentiment analysis, and automatic email generation using sales and marketing data.

The account managers and account development representatives’ feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They confirmed that the system would help save them significant time and increase product demand by addressing customer needs more effectively in real time.

After completing my internship project, I transitioned to working on my master’s thesis. I focused on enhancing the system I had developed and transforming it into a behavioral email targeting AI system, working closely with account managers from the GVSE and sales development representatives from the Virtual Demand Center.

My work aimed to build a bulk email generation tool that could automatically produce hyperpersonalized emails for customers, tailored to their current interests and sentiments. By the time I finished my thesis, both the account managers and sales reps were impressed with the system’s results.

When my internship ended, I was offered a full-time position with the Cisco Digital Marketing team. In this role, I focus on developing AI-driven solutions for marketing, while managing AI initiatives from other teams within the Marketing AI Office. I also oversee data-related marketing software within the Marketing Technology stack, using my experience to make recommendations on data-related technologies.

The opportunity to explore building AI systems to solve real-world marketing and sales challenges would not have been possible without the practical training I received at the ReDI School in partnership with Cisco Networking Academy.

If you’re looking to learn more about AI, Cisco Networking Academy launched the new course “Introduction to Modern AI,” which focuses on the practical applications of AI. This course will teach you ways to use AI to simplify tasks in your daily life, including at school, home, and work.

I'm truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passion and make a meaningful impact at Cisco through my role in Marketing.

Success is not just about attaining your goals; it’s about discovering new paths, rising to challenges, and creating lasting impact along the way. Cisco Networking Academy programs have transformed many lives, and I’m proud to be one of its success stories.

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