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Team: Team LOC
Chisom Okonkwo (Team Captain)
Junior, Computer Science
LeMoyne-Owen University
I am a Computer Science student at LeMoyne-Owen College with a strong interest in the intersection of software engineering, embedded systems, AI, developer tools, and human-centered applications. I enjoy building technology from the ground up, learning how systems work beneath the surface, and turning ideas into practical products.
On campus, I serve as President of the Apple Developers Club and Vice President of the International Students Association, where I work to create opportunities for students to learn, collaborate, and connect.
I recently interned at Microsoft, gaining experience working with large-scale software and the M365 ecosystem. I’ve also participated in programs and competitions, including CalHacks, HackMemphis, and the JPMorgan Chase Data for Good Hackathon experiences that have pushed me to become a better builder and problem solver.
I’m particularly interested in understanding technology deeply rather than simply learning how to make things work. I’ve been exploring areas such as Rust, C, embedded systems, AI systems, RAG, vector search, local LLMs, and modern application development. I am especially interested in building systems where software interacts closely with hardware and in developing AI-powered tools that solve meaningful problems.
Some of my projects include Twinkle, a personal note-taking application designed around rediscovering and connecting ideas over time; Circle, a relationship-management system designed to help people maintain meaningful connections; and MarketLens, an AI search optimization platform. I enjoy taking an idea from an early concept, thinking through the product and system architecture, and gradually turning it into something real.
Long term, I hope to become an engineer who can work across the stack and understand systems at a fundamental level—from low-level hardware and embedded software to distributed applications and AI. I am continuously looking for opportunities to learn, build, collaborate with talented people, and use technology to create things that are genuinely useful.
Lennon Rozo
Senior, Computer Science
LeMoyne-Owen University
My goal is simple: use my skills to give back to my community.
I grew up in an environment where I was surrounded by problems. For many people around me, those circumstances made it difficult to imagine a life beyond what they knew. I watched others dream, try, and sometimes fail. Still, I believed I could be different—not because my circumstances were different, but because I refused to let them define what was possible for me.
Today, I am a first-generation college student studying in a foreign country, aspiring to become a software engineer. My journey is more than a personal pursuit; it is a testament to the young people from my community who need to see that we can. My background is my greatest inspiration. Circumstance taught me resilience, resourcefulness, and how to solve problems with what I have. Today, I combine those lessons with technology to build solutions that put people first.
My greatest strength is user empathy. I understand what it feels like to face a problem and search for a solution that does not quite fit—because I have lived it myself. That experience shapes how I approach technology: not simply as a way to build impressive things, but as a tool to solve meaningful problems for real people.
I want to build technology that makes life better, creates opportunities, and gives people from communities like mine the chance to imagine something different.
I am not just building a career in technology. I am building toward the kind of future I once needed to believe was possible.
TsholoFelo Musarurwa
Senior, Computer Science
LeMoyne-Owen University
I am Takunda, a computer science major at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee. I grew up in South Africa, and coming to an HBCU in the American South gave me two things I didn’t expect: a much sharper sense of what technology can do for communities that institutions tend to overlook, and a stubborn habit of building things instead of waiting for permission.
Most of my hands-on experience has come through the University of Memphis, LeMoyne-Owen’s IT department as well as their Technology, Innovation & Research Center, where I interned this past summer. The work has ranged widely on purpose. I documented and catalogued 325 data ports across a campus building into a master workbook that IT still uses, maintained the loaner laptop fleet, set up virtual machines, and handled helpdesk tickets. I’ve learned that infrastructure work and product work are the same discipline pointed in different directions; both are about anticipating how people will actually behave, not how you wish they would.
Outside of school, I build. I competed in the HBCU Battle of the Brains, where I was on a team that designed and shipped Market Lens in 24 hours and pitched it to corporate judges. I’m currently developing MathBot, a step-by-step math assistance tool built on a modular agent architecture, I also help run Masuku Gold Beverages, an African functional beverage brand, which has taught me more about supply chains, margins, and unglamorous logistics than any course could.
My working stack is Python, Java, JavaScript, and React, with coursework in data structures, algorithms, networking, and neural networks through TensorFlow and Keras. What I want from this hackathon is the thing I can’t manufacture alone: a team of people who are faster than me at something, a deadline that doesn’t negotiate, and a room full of engineers who’ll tell me plainly where my thinking is wrong.
Kudzaishe Chirochierwa
Junior, Computer Science
LeMoyne-Owen University
I am an enthusiastic and self-driven Computer Science student with great interest in software engineering and technology in general. I am passionate about utilizing technology and advancing my technological abilities through practice, coursework, and personal growth. In addition to studying Computer Science, I strive to find work where I can apply the knowledge I have gained while acquiring some valuable experience under the supervision of other developers and technology experts.
My interest in software engineering lies in my desire to understand how technologies function and how one can design solutions for practical problems by using various software engineering techniques. In addition, I would like to learn more about such topics as programming, software development, computer systems, and the technologies behind all those applications people use on a daily basis. Thus, I want to advance my skills in such areas as programming, application development, databases, and problem-solving. Apart from technical expertise, I know that being a successful software engineer requires non-technical qualities such as communication, collaboration, flexibility, and willingness to learn from mistakes.
Throughout my academic and professional experiences, I have learned the importance of discipline, consistency, and taking initiative. I am willing to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone to learn something new. I approach difficult problems with patience and persistence, and I believe mistakes and challenges are important parts of learning. I am always looking for ways to become more efficient, improve my understanding, and develop skills that will prepare me for a successful career in technology.
Outside of academics, I have developed leadership, communication, and organizational skills through my involvement in tennis coaching and working with athletes. Coaching has taught me how to communicate instructions clearly, adapt to different learning styles, manage responsibilities, and work effectively with different personalities. These experiences have strengthened my ability to lead, collaborate, and remain focused on achieving goals. I believe these qualities are valuable in software engineering because successful projects require people who can communicate effectively and work together as a team.
