Daniel Ogbonna '24, Cybersecurity

Daniel Ogbonna ‘24 grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to New York during his sophomore year of high school. While there, he ran track and continues to do so at Malone, as he is serious about honing his skill. This began his dream and training to become a professional runner in hopes of Olympic readiness, which has continued at Malone.

“The Malone coaches were more consistent in reaching out to me than other colleges and they showed me how they care,” Ogbonna said. “They called to see how I was doing and sent me hand-written, personal well wishes. When I enrolled here, they kept their promises and made sure I’m doing things the right way.”

Ogbonna is used to being self-driven in his education, which has influenced him in his athletic commitment. He works with his coaches to set goals and keeps himself to a strict schedule of training and recovery. He specializes in the 200 and 400-meter races, or long sprints.

“The recovery of the body and enrichment of the mind is even more important than the training,” Ogbonna said. “Running is more mental than it is physical. If you don’t have the mental part figured out, it’s going to mess you up in a competition.”

Ogbonna moved to the U.S. four years ago, so he is still adjusting to a new culture and is, often times, treated as an international student. As such, he was connected with a host family that he can turn to for any type of help he needs and have a familial connection while living at Malone.

“I want to go to the Olympics, but there’s also life after track,” Ogbonna said. “I want to use my degree in cybersecurity to make AI software and protection strategies for car companies. I also want to coach track at some point in my life.”

When he was younger, he loved to write stories and novels. Among his plans for the future, he wants to write a book about track, illuminating how it helped him grow into the person he wants to be, what it takes to become a track athlete, and the diversity of the sport.

“I would love to open an academy just for track athletes to help students actualize their dreams,” Ogbonna said. “Giving back to the sport is important to me after achieving my own personal goals.”

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