Courtesy of Bethune-Cookman Athletic Communications


She's still settling in to her position at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory as well as a new phase of the journey, but Dr. Shamaria Engram appreciates the added responsibility.

Being the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of South Florida has brought much to the former Bethune-Cookman University softball catcher. Media attention is one of them, and she's handled it quite well, thank you. But when the likes of Black Enterprise Magazine are writing about you in February, it hits.

It's Black History Month, and Dr. Shamaria Engram already IS Black History.

"That didn't actually hit me until people started contacting me for Black History month features," Dr. Engram said. "I think it definitely adds to my drive and motivates me to continue to do great work and strive for the next level. I truly believe God has something big in store for me, I don't know what it is, but I have faith and believe that making history as the first Black woman to graduate with a PhD from USFs computer science and engineering program is only the beginning."

Since a statue and a biopic with Taraji P. Henson playing her in the title role both probably are a few years down the road, the only thing perhaps remaining for Dr. Engram is living up to additional expectations of a legacy already.

Is the extra pressure unfair?
                                                     
Unfair was being the only Black woman in a program. Unfair was the feeling at that 2019 software conference where one of the keynote speakers came over to her table and shook everyone's hand except for hers. And when you think about it, unfair is a story about the first Black woman from anything being written nearly a quarter through the 21^st century.

Another source of motivation, perhaps. Hopefully, not just for Dr. Engram.

"You have to keep working, keep pushing yourself," she said. "I can't be the first one and stop. We have to keep going forward."

Her journey started at Bethune-Cookman and included success with the storied Wildcat softball program.

A 2015 graduate, she was named Capital One Academic All-District® softball twice and was a member of the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship team. She was a MEAC Championship All-Tournament Team member in 2012 and 2015. She appeared in 187 games, registering 13 home runs and 76 RBIs.

"As an athlete, I learned to have discipline, which was a transferable skill for my career," Dr. Engram said. "I also learned time management, majoring in computer engineering while playing softball was definitely challenging so I had to learn how to balance the two. Also, playing a team sport like softball taught me how to work well within a team, which is also a skill needed to conduct quality research with my team members at work and perform well at my job."
 
"Shamaria had an incredible work ethic as a softball student-athlete at Bethune Cookman and she always prioritized the aspect of "student" before athlete," B-CU head softball coach Laura Watten said. "I remember being extremely impressed with her commitment to ensuring that she succeeded at the highest level in the classroom and on the field. It is great to see that Shamaria has accomplished so much since her time at BCU, and I am sure she will continue to grow and achieve much more in the future."
 
Off the field, Dr. Engram built long-lasting relationships at B-CU that helped shape her career path, most notably her advisor, Dr. Morrison Obeng.

 "She knew what she wanted to focus on and work hard at it," Dr. Obeng said. "Time management was very important to her. Her skills regarding that were excellent."

Dr. Obeng helped set Dr. Engram up to attend USF.

"The mentorship and guidance I received from Dr. Obeng was instrumental to my current success," Dr. Engram said. "He encouraged me to apply to an internship at Iowa State University, which introduced me to and got me interested in Computer Science research."

She's adamant about the role Bethune-Cookman played in this history.

"The small class sizes and family atmosphere provided the environment that I needed to become successful," Dr. Engram said. "Had I went to a [Predominantly White Institution] and majored in Computer Engineering, with large class sizes, I wouldn't have been able to receive the mentorship and guidance that I got while at B-CU. The professors there truly cared about me and my success."

Dr. Engram even sees herself teaching at an HBCU one day.

"Maybe even B-CU, to teach and mentor students like myself who needed the extra attention and guidance," she smiles.

There's some more history to be made first.