Children Spotlight of the Week: Emmanuella Mayaki – A Young Nigerian Tech Prodigy Inspiring the World
This week, we shine the spotlight on an exceptional 13-year-old Nigerian girl, Emmanuella Mayaki, whose journey is nothing short of inspiring. Emmanuella, with her natural curiosity and impressive technical skills, has achieved what many can only dream of. She has been accepted to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Mary Baldwin University in the United States, where she is part of the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG). Remarkably, Emmanuella is on track to graduate at the age of 16, making her one of the youngest university students globally!
Early Beginnings
Emmanuella’s story of achievement began early. By the age of 7, she had already mastered various computer skills, including Advanced Excel, Adobe PageMaker, Advanced PowerPoint, and CorelDraw. Driven by a deep interest in technology, she soon advanced to web development, which she quickly excelled in, leading her to build her own educational mobile application, “Emma’s ICT Academy.”
Making an Impact in Technology and Education
Her passion didn’t stop at just learning; Emmanuella was eager to share her knowledge with others. By age 11, she founded CodeKid, an ICT Academy for girls based in Abuja, Nigeria. Through this academy, Emmanuella provides young girls with essential digital skills, closing the gap in digital literacy for the girl child. From learning Microsoft Word and Excel to diving into programming and coding, the academy helps girls become confident in technology—a critical skill in today’s world.
The goal of CodeKid is to empower girls with sustainable digital knowledge that will equip them for the future, a vision that Emmanuella passionately supports. With registration under Nigeria’s Companies and Allied Matters Act, CodeKid has become a recognized institution dedicated to nurturing the tech skills of young girls and enabling them to thrive in a digital world.
Global Recognition and Future Aspirations
In 2022, Emmanuella’s academic excellence gained international attention. She scored in the 91st percentile on her SATs with a score of 1,300, which contributed to her acceptance into Mary Baldwin University’s prestigious program. As she pursues her degree, Emmanuella is determined to continue advancing in fields like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, PHP, MySQL, and Python—skills she has already mastered as a teenager. She even took on the role of a teacher in the United Kingdom, volunteering to share her knowledge with others.
Inspiring Young Girls Everywhere
Emmanuella Mayaki’s journey reflects a strong commitment to using her skills to uplift and empower others, particularly young girls. Her work serves as a beacon of hope for girls across Africa and the world, showing them that age is no barrier to learning, teaching, and making a difference. With her achievements and dedication, Emmanuella is setting a remarkable example of how knowledge, when combined with passion, can create positive change.
Emmanuella reminds us all that no dream is too big or too early to pursue. Her journey motivates us to believe in the power of young minds, encouraging everyone to reach for their potential and share their knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others.
