Lily Huynh/The Cougar
Drawing inspiration from the idea that people can define their own limits through hard work and sacrifice, Guonny Okpohworho is setting a new standard.
Okpohworho graduated from the C.T. Bauer College of Business at 18 with a degree in management information systems. She now has her dream job working in medical device sales at Johnson & Johnson.
“My take on everything is that anyone can do anything,” Okpohworho said. “Everyone has a definition for what’s hard. My definition for what’s hard is different than the person next to me and we can always break those definitions.”
Growing up, Okpohworho started school early and was always the youngest in her class. She graduated high school at 17, then enrolled at UH.
“I knew that if I played my cards right, I’d be able to graduate within three years,” Okpohworho said. “But I kind of told myself, I honestly think I could do this in two years.”
The summer before her freshman year, Okpohworho took four classes at Houston City College and from there on out, took on a course overload every semester, along with summer and winter mini courses at both UH and HCC – all while working two jobs.
In successfully completing her degree in two years, Okpohworho followed in the footsteps of her sister, who graduated from UH at 19. Both sisters are, in Okpohworho’s words, “overachievers”.
“Once we find something that we like, we want to commit to it, we just go at it until we have it,” Okpohworho said. “Obviously, nothing in life is easy. But how can I do my best in everything that I do? How can I always put my best foot forward?”
Throughout her college career, Okpohworho says she benefited from both student organizations at UH and larger national networks. As part of the National Sales Network, Okpohworho gained training in corporate etiquette and industry knowledge.
“A lot of these people that are teaching us these things are older than us and are in the corporate space that we’re trying to get into,” Okpohworho said. “They have a lot of gems to give.”
Far from being a disadvantage, Okpohworho’s age and ambition opened doors to mentors who were impressed with her initiative and willing to help.
“In their eyes, we’re the terrible Gen Z,” Okpohworho said. “So when they see a student that is going out of their way and coming to these organizations and connecting and networking, they’re almost impressed. And they will do anything to pour into you.”
And at UH, Okpohworho remembers having a great freshman experience despite starting young, from dorming to hanging out with friends.
But Okpohworho also had her fair share of critics as she pursued an accelerated pathway, even from professors.
“People don’t think you’re capable,” Okpohworho said. “Everyone was asking, how are you going to get a full-time job? You’re only 18.”
The best revenge, Okpohworho says, is to “just work hard and shut them up”.
“The kind of demographic that’s at U of H, we kind of do things that the normal college student doesn’t do, whether it’s someone supporting herself through college or working through college,” Okpohworho said. “I feel like kids at other schools would be like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve never heard of that, I just focus on my classes’. It goes back to ‘you can do anything’.”
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