About Me

Onome Mary Akinbode-James

Born March 9, 2000 · Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

I grew up in Abeokuta, Nigeria, where basketball found me early. At 15, I was representing my country at the FIBA Africa U16 Championship. At 16, I moved to the United States — alone — to attend Blair Academy in New Jersey, where I delivered a TEDx talk on Africa's broken perception during my senior year.

Blair led to Duke, where I spent four years as a Division I student-athlete, double-majoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science while starting 52 games for the Blue Devils. Duke led to Microsoft, where I now work as a Software Engineer in Seattle.

But the tabs don't stop there. I founded the Ready Leaders Foundation to empower Nigerian youth through leadership and civic engagement. I gave a TEDx talk on Africa's broken perception. I started African Athlete Abroad to share the guide I wish I'd had. I still compete — currently playing for the Washington Athletic Club. And I recently learned to ride a bike, because some tabs open later than others.