Deara Okonkwo on graduation day

Earning a Master's at age 18

Profile of Deara Okonkwo

By: Juontel White

Posted: 4/27/09

It's a Thursday evening in May 2008 and proud parents, little brothers and sisters, and screaming best friends with bull horns in hand, are gathered in the University of Southern California's (USC) Bovard Auditorium, anxious for the Black Graduation Ceremony to begin.

It is a tradition that began a little more than 10 years ago and takes place in Bovard annually on the Thursday before university-wide commencement.

It was created as a means of featuring and celebrating the achievements of African American graduates through student performances, a speaker and of course, a graduate processional.

African American students wearing black caps and gowns adorned with cardinal and gold tassels (the colors of USC) and Kinta cloth sashes (symbolic of African heritage), form a line at stage right.

One by one, they step forward, waiting for the mistress of ceremonies to call them onstage to be recognized.

When their name is called, they walk on stage to receive a certificate from USC's Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA) and a pin from the Black Alumni Association.

They then have a few moments to give "shout-outs"-thank you to friends and family-or a performance. In years past, members of historically black fraternities and sororities as well as student dance teams have performed step and dance routines, respectively.

Deara Okonkwo is next in line, standing behind members of a dance group. Her shoulder-length hair is shiny black and gently frames her cocoa brown face.
She grins with excitement and clutches her name card, anxious to hand it to the mistress of ceremonies Corliss P. Bennett McBride, Director of the CBCSA.

Okonkwo waves to her mother and father, who are both sitting in the front row and wearing Nigerian ceremonial attire.

Mrs. Kendra Okonkwo's hat, a turban-like headpiece made of a powder blue and shiny silver cloth is the exact match of her blouse and skirt and is so large it blocks the view of the people seated behind her.

She beams with pride as she waves back to her daughter.

Hostess McBride takes Okonkwo's name card and immediately steps out from behind the podium.

"For this next graduate, I need everyone to pay attention," she yells with excitement. "Graduating tonight, we have a 17-year-old girl! […]I need everyone to stand up for Deara Okonkwo."

A roar of applause sweeps through the auditorium as Okonkwo's family leaps to their feet with excitement. Her mother screams 'That's my baby' as Okonkwo walks across the stage.

Okonkwo walks across the stage, her face glowing with bliss as she waves to the crowd.

The average 17-year-old is just graduating from high school but Okonkwo, way ahead of many others her age, graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing.

How did she do it?

"When I was in junior high school my mom told me I could start taking classes at a community college," explains Okonkwo.

Mrs. Okonkwo is an elementary school teacher who emigrated from Nigeria to the U.S. before Deara was born.

When she learned that high school and junior high students could earn college credits prior to attending college, she enrolled Deara at Los Angeles Southwest Community College, the closest junior college to their home in South Central Los Angeles.

"A young girl's education is so important," says Mrs. Okonkwo, her strong Nigerian accent resonating through every word.

"Back home children don't have the opportunities American children have. […] I wanted to make sure my Dede [Deara's nickname] excels in this system and takes advantage of her opportunities to be well educated."

So at 10 years old, Okonkwo would attend junior high during the day and community college classes at night.

"Dede is so disciplined," says Harmony*, Okonkwo's neighbor and childhood friend. "We only played together on the weekends because after school she would go straight to doing homework."

But Okonkwo never craved to run, skip or jump around with her friends. Her preferred method of movement is dance.
*Last name was not provided at the request of interviewee.

Her Favorite Pastime

Ask Okonkwo what she likes to do most and she'll emphatically respond, "I love to dance." She would often watch music videos of artists like Michael and Janet Jackson and be mesmerized by their dancing ability.

Okonkwo would often imitate their moves in the living room, recalls her mother.

Mrs. Okonkwo had enrolled Deara in her first dance classes at a studio called Creative Movements when she was almost 2 years old.

Over the years, Deara has studied a variety of genres, including ballet, jazz, African and hip-hop dance.

Her favorite dancer is Ciara, a 21 year old R&B/pop singer. "Ciara is my idol," she squealed.

Mrs. Okonkwo often suggested that Dede use her talents to help the community so for her 16th birthday, she presented her daughter with "Dede's Dance Studio," a building on Manchester Blvd and Stanford St.

There, Okonkwo began teaching classes for young girls to learn how to dance.

"I'm so thankful to my mom for giving me a space to do what I love," says Okonkwo, "and I'm serving my community at the same time so it's a privilege to be able to share my gift with others."

Okonkwo enrolled in at Southwest College full time after graduating high school. She felt it was the easiest transition since she'd already been taking classes there.

To Mrs. Okonkwo, a small community college was the safest place for Deara-she didn't want her to venture off into a larger university just yet. And, the tuition was much cheaper.

"The flexibility of my schedule and living at home gave me time to dedicate to dancing and teaching my students," said Deara.
Okonkwo has approximately 20 consistent students who participate in all of the dance workshops. They are young girls ranging from 5 to 12 years old.

At Dede's Dance Studio dancers learn much more than dance, they are gain valuable life skills.

One of their mottos encourages the dancers to develop healthy eating habits. 'I gotta eat fresh to be fresh so I can dance my best,' they often chant before and after every rehearsal.

During break time, the girls are given fruit and whenever they voice complaints, Okonkwo cheerily asks, "what's our motto?" to which they reply by reciting their catchy mantra.
More than a dance instructor, Okonkwo serves as a role model for her students.

Through her academic achievements she hopes to inspire them to go to college and become successful.

"Many of these girls come from low-income families and their parents never went to college," she explains, "[…] so I lead by example and hope to show them that it's a good thing to do well in school."

She continues, "I'm happy to be in their lives and give them a positive role model."

College Life

After two years of community college, Okonkwo transferred to USC. She has goals of becoming the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Because of USC's high-ranking education school, she thought it was an ideal choice; plus, it was close to home.

Mrs. Okonkwo refused to let Deara live on campus so whatever school she attended needed to be within commuting distance.

"I didn't like commuting," says Okonkwo. "I didn't have a car so I had to take the bus to school and it was always late, especially at night."

Many nights, Okonkwo's father would pick her up on his way home from work so that she wasn't waiting for hours at a bus stop.

But whether she took the bus or got a ride, Okonkwo's curfew was 9 pm. This prevented her from experiencing activities typical of college night life-parties, midnight breakfasts, movie nights in student dorms, etc.

Her parents didn't want her involved in such socializing. "Dede is too young to be around people drinking," says her mother. "I've heard stories of college boys taking advantage of young girls. Dede shouldn't be a part of that environment."

After graduating in 2008, Deara reflects, "I don't think I missed out on much because I still made friends and got to have fun with them."

Some of her peers feel Okonkwo's parents hindered her from truly enjoying college.

Bridgette Jackson, currently a senior at USC majoring in Business Administration, often worked with Okonkwo in planning for the Black Graduation Ceremony.

"Dede is very mature," she says, "she's very diligent in her work but she doesn't have a network of friends here [at USC] because she's always studying or off at her dance studio."

What is she doing now?

Still, Okonkwo feels content about her undergraduate experience and is excited for her future.

Within the summer between graduation and beginning her Master's program, Okonkwo founded a non-profit mentoring organization named Princess Club/Ladies' First.

The Princess Club is for girls ages 5-12 while Ladies First is for older girls 16-18 years old. Each Saturday the girls meet for an hour-long lesson to learn about topics such as self-esteem, college, and peer pressure.

The sessions are taught by student volunteers from USC along with the board of directors of Dede's dance studio, which consisted of mothers of dance students.

Okonkwo currently works as an assistant teacher for a fourth grade class at the same Los Angeles charter school at which her mother teaches.

She will earn a Master's in Education from USC in May of this year.