Class of ’25: UDM had everything for Engineering grad from Nigeria

Each year, University of Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications department profiles members of the graduating classes. Students chosen were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the life of the University.

When Oriekaose Agholor ’25 was searching for his college destination in the United States, he wanted an Engineering education that encompassed everything.

Mechatronics — a multidisciplinary field that combines mechanics, electronics and computing — was at the top of his list; robotics was another targeted pathway. He also wanted an Engineering program that valued co-op internships.

University of Detroit Mercy had it all.

“I’m interested in the whole thing with Engineering,” said Agholor, a native of Delta State, Nigeria. “How can I have the necessary skills to make a product or technology to solve problems or help people? The Mechatronics program expands my knowledge and allows me to tap into these different Engineering fields.”

In fact, Detroit Mercy was one of just two schools in the country that allows students to combine Mechatronics and Robotics into a degree when Agholor was looking at colleges.

“Some schools have one or the other,” Agholor said. “Our school puts both of them together.”

Agholor had two internship co-ops while at the University, working locally as a controls engineering intern with Yanfeng in Highland Park, and with the electric vehicle company, Rivian, in summer 2024 in California.

“My experience here at Detroit Mercy was crucial in my success in both of those roles,” he said. “I feel absolutely prepared for the workforce. I’m really grateful for that.”

Agholor stepped off the plane from Nigeria before the start of the UDM’s winter 2022 semester, having never stepped foot in the United States.

For Agholor, it was completely new surroundings — country, city, school and the community of people at the University. And he began school a semester after most of his Class of 2025 classmates started.

First-year residence Shiple Hall quickly made him feel at home.

“It was amazing,” Agholor said. “It really helped smooth my journey from Nigeria to the United States. Most of the freshmen had started in the fall, so people already knew each other. People would just come up to you and start a conversation. Everyone was really nice and sweet, and after you see people over and over, you just kind of connect.

“The social community on campus definitely was one of the best things here.”

Agholor dove headfirst into the social aspect of the University, becoming involved in clubs and societies, and growing into a campus leader. He became an orientation leader for incoming Titans and also worked at the Student Success Center on the McNichols Campus.

He even started two clubs at UDM: the music club and badminton club. The music club was a fixture on campus and combined students across all majors; they even played at UDM President Donald Taylor’s inauguration dinner. 

The International Night that showcases the diverse population at Detroit Mercy was a favorite event of Agholor’s during his tenure as a student.

“I really liked that Detroit Mercy gave you the opportunity to kick-start your own endeavors,” he said.

In his Engineering studies, Agholor also gave his all, from projects with other students to immersing himself in his degree programs.

Among his opportunities, Agholor, along with other students, shared his designs with national leaders, such as U.S. Sen. Gary Peters ‘84 and former National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr., when the pair visited the McNichols Campus and UDM’s Vehicle Cyber Engineering program in April 2024.

All of the projects, classes, internships and opportunities has given him a complete education and was everything Agholor envisioned and more.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “I’ve taken different mechanical classes, different electrical classes and I’ve taken a Mechatronics modeling and simulation class, which is really cool because you need the knowledge of mechanical and electrical classes to really understand what’s going on in this class and we’re learning really cool techniques on how to bridge those worlds together.”

Having attended a Jesuit secondary school in Nigeria, Agholor was versed in the traditions of St. Ignatius. Those Jesuit and Mercy values impacted him further as he grew at the University.

“That was prevalent when I was a campus leader, that we are here to serve, we aren’t doing this for ourselves or the money,” he said. “We are here to model the life of our founders.”

His faith drives him every day.

“My drive to work hard and the belief in myself, my capabilities and other people, it all comes from Jesus,” Agholor said. “It is the Holy Spirit that gives me constant guidance and the values guide me, lead my path. It keeps me on the right track.”

Agholor earned a Robotics and Mechatronic Systems Engineering Honors degree in just three-and-a-half years from the University and now hopes to be able to create technologies that will help others.

His first gig post-graduation takes him to a start-up space for SynaFox AI, located inside of the remodeled and updated Michigan Central Station in downtown Detroit. A networking event hosted by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan put him in position for the post-graduate internship.

“I hope that in the near future I’m within the start-up space, because I want to develop relevant but powerful technology that can help positively transform the lives of other people in my immediate community in the United States and hopefully even the world,” he said.

“A lot of technology is being created today solely for profit, without having a true impact on the lives of people. I’d like to be in the start-up space to work with like-minded people, hopefully people who have the same drive as me to come up with user-centric products.”

Agholor can’t say enough about his UDM experience.

“My favorite part was getting to work on cool, interdisciplinary projects and working with the students,” he said. “I’ve gotten to work with so many different teams, so many faculty, organizations and clubs, so many different students.

“Being able to interact with people no matter their race, their color, their religion, has been really beautiful. Being able to learn from each and every one of these groups of people and communities has been really awesome.”

— By Adam Bouton. Follow Detroit Mercy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Have a story idea? Let us know by submitting your idea.