ACBSP IMPACT

A conversation with Kingsley Zikora Udenze, who joined ACBSP in September 2019.

What is your role with ACBSP? I work as the sole System Administrator at the ACBSP home office so I help make sure the computing needs of our home office staff are met, also enforcing security and continually evaluating the state of our IT systems. I previously worked as an IT Supervisor for Sheraton Lagos hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am of the Igbo ethnic group and my hometown is Enugwu-Ukwu in Anambra State, Nigeria. I come from a pretty large family. My dad is an Engineer, my mum is a professor, I have an older brother, four younger sisters and two lovely little nieces.

In my spare time, I enjoy singing, listening to music, playing and watching soccer.

What is on your bucket list? Skydiving and watching a soccer World Cup final live.

What is one thing you’re exceptionally good at doing? I am quite good at mental math.

What is one thing you’re epically bad at doing? Two step dancing.

What was your childhood ambition? I always wanted to be a commercial flight pilot for a major airline.

What was your first job? My first job was at Sheraton Hotel in Lagos as an IT intern.

What do you know now that you wish you had known then? I wish I had spent more time pursuing some other interests outside my academics, such as soccer and maybe music. I also wish I had taken more risks.

What are you most proud to have accomplished in your life? I am most proud of getting my master’s degree in the United States.

What has been your greatest challenge? My biggest challenge in life so far has been making a move to the United States to pursue my degree, leaving family and friends behind. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and a Master’s degree in cyber security from Fort Hays State University.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? My dad always said not to burn a bridge after crossing it.

Who do you most admire and why? I admire Barack Obama for everything he represents—his grace as a leader, his accomplishments in his profession and his dedication to his daughters and wife. 

What is your definition of success? Success is how much you can impact and improve the lives of people who depend on you.

What do you like most about working for ACBSP? The ACBSP home office is a small but really tight family and I am enjoying the friendly relationships with all my colleagues. I appreciate how flexible the job is to accommodate sudden emergencies and personal activities of employees.

What are three qualities that got you where you are today? Resilience, Optimism, and Patience.

If you weren’t doing this, you’d be…I would probably have signed up for the military. I still intend to do so but as a reservist.

What kind of work would you do for free? I would coach little kids to play soccer. I still intend to do it on weekends sometime in the future.

What is something you’ve learned about yourself during this pandemic? I always thought I wouldn’t mind working from home but I have found myself missing being around colleagues and having face-to-face interactions.