Passion for Gaming Leads to Scholar’s Interest in Cyber Security

Six students from Georgia State University’s Perimeter College have been named semifinalists for the 2025 Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Jack Kent Cooke award is a competitive scholarship for the nation’s top two-year college students. It provides recipients with up to $55,000 per year, placing the scholarship among the largest private awards in the country for community college transfer students. The semifinalists, all Perimeter Honors College students working toward their associate degrees, are among 467 individuals selected from more than 1,600 applicants attending 212 community colleges in 43 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the Northern Mariana Islands. The following is a profile of one of Perimeter’s semifinalists.

CLARKSTON, Ga. — When considering what he’d study in college, Prosper Olusegun-Joseph leaned into his favorite pastime as a child growing up in Nigeria.

“I was a huge gamer,” Prosper recalled of spending hours on his dad’s Samsung tablet entertaining himself with everything from soccer to fighting games.

“So, I became extremely familiar with devices and technology.”

This led to Prosper’s strong interest in computer science, a subject he has studied at Perimeter College since enrolling at the school nearly two years ago. Today, as a frontrunner for the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship, the 19-year-old has narrowed his interest to cyber security. Eventually, he wants to combine cloud architecture with entrepreneurship to make a difference in the science field.

For now, Prosper is deeply focused on his college studies, which includes participation in Georgia State’s inaugural computer science education and career readiness program. The CodePath E3 Program launched last year and provides students with high-quality, tech industry co-developed and vetted courses, student courses and program support services, access to a network of professional engineers and a career center offering 1:1 coaching and mentorships.

“Perimeter College is a very good school,” Prosper said, referring to the CodePath opportunity which he believes will give him a big boost as a computer scientist.

Prosper also keeps busy at Perimeter by participating in campus organizations, such as the Clarkston Computing and Engineering Club and DC Next Generation, a group focused on Bible study and prayer.

“Clubs help you build passion,” Prosper said.

His parents are a big influence in his life as well. Prosper shared that he grew up in a tight-knit Christian home, praying and eating together as a family. Prosper’s older brother Prevail graduated from Perimeter last year and was a 2024 Jack Kent Cooke semifinalist as well.

Prosper’s dad is a cardiologist in Lagos, Nigeria, and his mom is a lecturer at a polytechnic school.

“So, I come from a background of excellence,” he said, noting that his parents have high expectations for him and his siblings.

“Mom is a good encourager. She always says: ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your heart.’”

These days, Prosper has transferred the energy and time that he used to spend on gaming into preparing for a standout career as a computer scientist.

Georgia Tech, Emory, Cornell and Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus are on his short list of places to possibly apply before graduating from Perimeter this summer.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will announce its 2025 scholarship recipient in May.

Story by Kysa Anderson Daniels

Photo by Bill Roa