Nonyelum

Passionate about design and creative by nature, Bay Area Nigerian Native Nonyelum Ogbodo got an early start in the arts at the age of 3, drawing pictures for her family and friends.​

By age 17, with numerous art awards under her belt, Nonyelum became citywide recognized in her district for the unique captivation always displayed in her artwork, ultimately earning her an early admission scholarship to the top ranked Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Although her initial scholarship was for fashion and sculpting--her high school portfolio demonstrated a wide range of mediums, including that of Sketching & Graphic Art. During the first week of her University Bridge program at the Academy Nonyelum made the decision to move forward in the concentration of Creative Direction for Advertising Publications, and technology graphic design.

Following the completion of her bridge studies, Nonyelum soon after relocated to Los Angeles, and earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Business Administration Public Policy for Political Science (Legal Studies), accompanied with a minor in Design obtaining a Professional Studies Certificate in Design for Media Publications from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

After Undergrad, Nonyelum landed yet another art scholarship, which sent her to a post-bacc program in Visual Communications at the The New School Parson’s School of Design of New York City. From this point forward, Nonyelum felt obligated to take the creative world of publications/marketing by storm, thus ultimately landing incredible 'once in a life time' positions at a few of America’s favorite big box sports corporations, including ESPN, NHL, and the NBA. Nonyelum’s most notable experience occurred when she was hand selected out of nearly 10,000 candidates to complete framework at Major League Baseball’s International in Sydney Australia! At age 26, Nonyelum became the youngest Creative Director of Media Publications within the MLB franchise, ultimately living out her dream of being a creative director for a major corporation.

After 10 years of corporate branding in marketing publications design, by way of one of her freelance Real Estate Development clients-- It was VERY CLEAR that her most passionate medium of design became Sustainable Architecture and Commercial Real Estate Development Design. Ultimately landing yet another scholarship to the University of Miami--where she completed a Masters in Real Estate Development + Urbanism, and a Master of Science in Architecture--both with a concentration of Sustainable Architecture Material Design for Sports Facilities/Venues. Nonyelum is truly enthusiastic to grow in the world of Global Architecture/Real Estate Design and all that it has to offer. Currently as an Associate Project Manager for Jones Lang LaSalle [JLL], Nonyelum was recently recognized by Autodesk in their 2025 Champions of Construction 40 under 40 List of impactful professionals in the AEC industry.