Adejuwon Oreoluwa, or AJ, described herself as a “late bloomer” when it came to discovering her passion for computers and data science.
Now a senior at the University of Houston, AJ grew up in Abuja, Nigeria, and initially pursued nursing before realizing it wasn’t her calling. Around the same time, AJ noticed she was developing an interest in computers, particularly data science and cybersecurity.
“You know how you can fall in love with specifics,” She said. “I didn’t want to major in computer science entirely because I loved the health sector.” Drawn to both, she combined her interests by majoring in Health Science with a focus on public health and minoring in Data and Society, creating what she calls “the perfect cocktail.”
AJ joined the Digital Humanities Core Facility (DHCF) in 2023, the same year she was a Pharis fellow with the Data Science Institute, after hearing Dr. Merchant discuss the work being done at the facility. She recalls being particularly moved by a DHCF project involving a Nigerian graduate student’s research. “That project was really close to home,” she says. After applying, she joined the team and reflects, “It’s been just a year, but a very wholesome year.” AJ manages project planning and coordination at the DHCF, tracking project progress and supporting professors and students.
On busy days, she monitors statuses, follows up on documents or datasets, and makes sure that tutorials for tools like Tableau, Google Sheets, Nightlab, Onodo, and GIS are accessible. Reflecting on the interdisciplinary nature of the work, she notes, “I know it’s called the digital humanities core facility, still, sometimes there can be a clash between people who are, I would say, scientists and people who are in the humanities. Their way of thinking when it comes to going into these projects can be quite different. You know how people could be about their work; it can be like their babies trying to protect it. I don’t feel like it is easy for them to see some of the things we try to point out.”
When asked how she explains the DHCF to help people loosen their grip on their "babies," AJ said, “Think of the DHCF as a sort of special workshop where you could just come to us with your project ideas, or maybe ideas that you’ve already started to flesh out, where you think you broke something and need help fixing it. We take those ideas and help you bring them to life, and we provide the resources that you might need along the way. We help you use and analyze those resources in the most appropriate and effective way to ensure that your end goal is met and that you know you’re satisfied with the result."