Chinma Nnadozie-Okananwa
English, MA, BA
PlusOne
2023
When 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot, the entire country held its breath awaiting the momentous trial – and Chinma Nnadozie-Okananwa wanted to be in that courtroom. An English major with a minor in Law and Public Policy, Chinma wants to ultimately become a lawyer, facilitating important conversations and impacting real change.
Law school is a big investment. That’s why Chinma was attracted to NU and the co-op process, which has allowed her to experience the legal environment before committing to the practice.
Chinma’s long-held love of reading and writing, specifically poetry, led to her to decision to major in English for her undergraduate education.
In her first year, Chinma took Early African American Literature with Professor Nicole Aljoe. It was the first time she had a Black professor and the opportunity to share lived experiences in a new way.
Chinma took Contemporary Poetry with Professor Eunsong Kim which explored readings that Chinma still uses today. She learned how poetry and art can affect real change, like through the Black Arts Movement.
Chinma is co-president of Our Voices: Women of Color, which is run through the Social Justice Resource Center and the Center for Intercultural Engagement and allows her to facilitate vital conversations.
Through Our Voices: Women of Color, Chinma attended Northeastern’s EMPOWER conference for students of color in 2019, where she gave a presentation about intersectionality.
In her second year, Chinma took Intro to Law, Policy, and Society with Professor Daniel Urman, which gave her the chance to explore the intersection between current events and law, furthering her interest.
Chinma’s first co-op was at WilmerHale in a discovery solutions position. During workshops, she would roleplay as a witness in mock depositions to understand more about important strategy and argumentation
A member of The Interrobang Poets since 2018, Northeastern’s slam poetry club, Chinma has performed and competed at the collegiate level.
Chinma developed her second co-op at Venn Diagram Partners, a diversity, equity, and inclusion firm. She works with companies to assess and grow their DEI efforts to ensure a successful working culture.
“There’s only so much you can get from someone telling you, from someone relaying that information to you. And truthfully, there are so many skills that you gain on co-op that I felt I wouldn’t have gained otherwise, like working in a fast-paced environment.”
