This is the 91st article in Bears Doing Big Things, a weekly column celebrating the stories of notable M-A alumni.
Damali Ankoanda-King ’92 is a software engineering program manager for Apple, where she specializes in systems engineering. “Every day is different, and being able to work with a team and resolve obstacles is a very rewarding experience,” she said.
King grew up in East Palo Alto in a close-knit family. “My mother was always very intent on making sure we understood the background of who we are, where we came from, and the history of African Americans in this country,” she said.
From fourth to eighth grade, King was homeschooled in her mother’s garage, which functioned as a small community school, while also participating in traditional academics and sports.
At M-A, King’s favorite class was computer-aided design. “The class gave me an introduction into what I would later see working in software and sparked my interest in engineering,” she said.
King also played soccer at M-A and participated in the Black Student Union. “At the time there was not a huge African American population at M-A, especially in some of the Advanced Placement courses, so BSU was a chance for everyone to come together from their unique backgrounds and courses of life,” she said.
“Some classes, especially in history, were difficult to navigate as an African American student because what I had learned growing up was different from what the teacher was teaching,” King explained. “It really taught me how to be persistent and stand my ground.”
After graduating from M-A, King attended Howard University to study mechanical engineering. “When I was younger I would always try to fix things around the house like the VCR or even a doorknob, so I was very in tune mechanically to fixing things,” King said. “One of my mom’s friends told me I should be an engineer, which really stuck with me from a young age.”
King also helped start the first-ever women’s soccer team at Howard University. “I was able to get a scholarship and play, which was really unexpected, but it worked out and I’m glad I got to continue playing soccer in college,” she said.
Following college, King got a job at Lockheed Martin, a leading aerospace and defense company specializing in military aircrafts, missiles, and advanced space technologies. She participated in an Engineering Leadership Development Program, a two-year initiative with rotating job assignments every six months, which provided exposure to various career paths within the field. “One of my rotations was mechanical engineering, so I started to consider getting my masters in engineering, but I ended up switching to systems engineering because it let me work on a wider range of projects,” she said.
King earned her master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a test engineer lead and mechanical design engineer at Lockhead Martin. “One of the biggest projects I worked on was a Japanese ballistic missile defense program, where I got to travel to Japan,” she said.
King was also a project specialist, where she led technology research efforts, and a systems engineering manager, which involved overseeing tasks, staff, and project delivery.
King is now an engineering program manager at Apple, where she manages the development of new features and applications, ensuring timely delivery while handling risks and concerns. “I decided I wanted to make the transition from government contracting to commercial,” she said.
King is also passionate about photography and traveling, and even hiked Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
King’s advice for current M-A students: “Find teachers who are not only mentors in school but also in life. They are important in helping you navigate high school and beyond.”
To those interested in engineering: “Get involved in activities and organizations that align with different types of engineering because they will help you gain experience.”
