From community college to engineering research and careers in Colorado’s growing industries, transfer students are building on what they’ve accomplished and discovering what’s possible next.
Michael Ogbinaka had already crossed an ocean and earned an engineering degree when he began searching for his next university. He wasn’t looking for a fresh start. He wanted a place that would recognize how far he’d come and help him go further.
Raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Ogbinaka moved to the United States and earned an associate degree in electrical engineering in Newark, New Jersey. His next goal was a bachelor’s degree, followed by graduate study and a career designing the hardware systems behind modern technology.
But choosing where to transfer meant more than comparing degree programs. He needed a university that would recognize his previous education, help him navigate the transition and connect him with opportunities to grow.
He found that at CU Denver’s College of Engineering, Design and Computing (CEDC).
“I chose CU Denver because of the support I received even before becoming a student,” Ogbinaka said. “From advising to department leadership, I felt like people genuinely wanted to see me succeed.”
For Ogbinaka, that support made the difference between finding a university where he could continue his education and finding one where he could see his future taking shape.
His experience reflects a defining part of the CEDC approach: recognizing the experience students bring with them and connecting them with the faculty, resources and opportunities to build on it.
For transfer students, that can mean more than a smoother transition. It can mean finding a clearer path into engineering research, advanced education, and careers in Colorado’s growing technology industries.
Engineering students have already worked hard to get where they are. At CEDC, the goal is to help them turn that progress into professional opportunities.
A transfer experience built around the student
Transferring into an engineering program can be complex. Courses build on one another, degree requirements follow carefully structured sequences, and decisions about credits and prerequisites can affect how long it takes to graduate.
Ogbinaka understood those stakes. After two years studying electrical engineering in New Jersey, he wanted to continue building on his education without losing momentum.
“I wanted a place that would help me build on what I’d already done, not start over,” he said.
At CU Denver, that support began before his first semester.
“My advisor, Karla, guided me through the entire transfer process,” Ogbinaka said. “Dr. Golkowski, the department chair, also offered incredible support that made my transition to Denver much easier.”
Family also played a role in making the transition easier. Ogbinaka’s brother, Favour, had attended CU Denver in the Electrical Engineering program before him and was able to offer guidance and support as he prepared for his own journey at the university.
The attention he received reflects CEDC’s broader commitment to expanding access to engineering and helping more students gain the skills to solve real-world engineering problems. There is no single path towards becoming an engineer, what we can do as a college is provide the right guidance, support and opportunities to make your path to what comes next much clearer.
For Ogbinaka, those early interactions demonstrated something important about the college: His success mattered to the people who would help guide his education.
“Seeing how committed CU Denver was to helping me succeed is what ultimately made my decision,” Ogbinaka said. “Having that level of support from advisors, faculty, and the department, makes a huge difference. It gives you confidence that you’re in the right place.”
As he settled into campus life, Ogbinaka also found a sense of belonging through the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), a student club that provided a community alongside his academic pursuits.
That confidence also gave Ogbinaka room to think beyond his bachelor’s degree.
He was pursuing CU Denver’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s pathway in electrical engineering, with the goal of building a career in hardware engineering. As a transfer student, he saw CEDC not just as a place to deepen his technical expertise, but as a place to build the foundation for the career he had envisioned when he first began studying engineering.
The opportunities he found at CU Denver also helped Ogbinaka take an important step toward that goal. He secured an internship at Texas Instruments, bringing his engineering education closer to the industry experience he had hoped to gain.
Where transfer students find opportunity
Ogbinaka’s experience is one example of how students who begin their education elsewhere can find new opportunities at CEDC.
For Luis (Carlos) Gutierrez, transferring from Community College of Denver opened the door to engineering research. After arriving at CU Denver, Gutierrez connected with electrical engineering professor Nam Bui and joined a project developing 360-degree 3D video conferencing technology.
The experience gave him an opportunity to work alongside faculty investigating emerging communication technologies while developing research skills that extend beyond traditional coursework.
For James Holland, who transferred from Arapahoe Community College to study construction management, the connection between education and industry became a defining part of his experience.
An internship on a $20 million museum renovation project in Denver gave Holland direct exposure to the demands of professional construction management. That experience led to a full-time project engineer offer before graduation.
Their stories show what transferring to CEDC can make possible: opportunities to contribute to research, gain experience on major industry projects and build professional relationships that can lead directly to careers.
They also reinforce something central to Ogbinaka’s decision to transfer: CU Denver is a place where your ambition for the future is met with the opportunity to make it real.
Through faculty mentorship, applied learning, research and partnerships with Colorado employers, CEDC creates opportunities for students to develop the technical expertise and professional relationships that help build a successful engineering career.
For transfer students arriving with credits earned and career goals in mind, those opportunities are especially valuable. They can build on their previous education while gaining research experience, working alongside industry professionals and developing skills that employers need.It is the opportunity to apply the education they’ve already earned toward the future career they want to build.
Your next chapter starts here
Whatever brings them to CU Denver, transfer students arrive with something valuable: progress and determination. Here, the opportunity is to turn that experience into momentum.
For Gutierrez, it means contributing to research that explores new possibilities for communication technology. For Holland, it means entering Colorado’s construction workforce with experience on a major industry project and a job offer already in hand. For Ogbinaka, that means continuing toward an advanced degree and a future in hardware engineering.
His story is still unfolding. But the decision that brought him from New Jersey to Denver has already given him something essential: the confidence to pursue what comes next, knowing he has a community invested in helping him get there.
Because whether the path to becoming an engineer begins at CU Denver or brings you here along the way, what matters is where it can take you. For students looking to take the next step and turn their ambition into opportunity, CU Denver’s College is Engineering, Design, and Computing is the place to meet your moment.
See where your education can take you next.
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