Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Opia

Hi Thomas, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

As a young boy living in Nigeria where I was born and lived to the age of 8, I had always dreamt about going overseas to London and America- the land of opportunity where there were abundance of resources and dreams come through. Being Academically superior were non-negotiables in my household, as is the culture of many Nigerian households, where anything more than a couple “Bs” in your courses or a grade below a B in any course, were unacceptable. Education was not free, albeit public schools being subsidized by the government, but due to the competitive culture surrounding education, private schools were often sought after if your family could afford one. Private tutors, often called “Lesson teacher” were often used to buttress the already challenging curriculum from primary to tertiary education. The diverse knowledge I was exposed to both in school, with our lesson teacher and on TV sparked further curiosity and desire to explore the variety of potential career fields out there, like being a musician/dancer, police officer, airplane pilot or engineer.

In 2001, the opportunity finally came and my family and I migrated to the USA and became permanent residents of Maryland. The primary goal was to achieve a foundation where we excel academically while immersing ourselves in our environment and being the best we could be. Since then. i have continued to excel in my studies and decided that engineering was the path I wanted to take to build a career and live a fulfilling, passionate, interest- filled life. At the age of 15, I got my first official job as a courtesy clerk at Safeway and this was a pivotal moment in my life. I came home from the interview with my mom and told my dad, the first thing he told me was “very good, congratulations,,now I can teach you the value of a dollar”. He then gave me a $1 bill and said “hold this, when you get your first paycheck I will take you to the bank and open an account,” I will monitor the account and will add to it if you ever need money, however you are responsible to make sure that this account does not default or incur any fee., My father was a graduate in business and accounting and worked as a businessman and bank manager before relocating to the United States so I valued his wisdom. Ever since that day, I made it a personal mission of mine to work hard to not only maintain that account but to also earn his respect. Through that account I was able to pay for my senior prom, football gear, shoes and other things I wanted as a teenager which I otherwise would not have gotten as anything beyond academic excellence were not as important, as was the culture of my very African household.

In 2011, I graduated top 5 of my high school graduating class and enrolled into the Pre-Accelerated Curriculum (PACE) in Engineering Summer Program at Morgan State University as an aspiring Electrical Engineer. The PACE program was a rigorous curriculum where student candidates lived on campus for 5 weeks taking courses with a research practicum. The objective of the program was for incoming students to take the accuplacer (entrance placement) exam to determine the math level/course they would be enrolled in as a freshman. The engineering curriculum at Morgan State at the time was 132 credits to graduate as an ABET accredited institution, Your engineering curriculum math credits does not start until you take and pass Calculus I. This can affect your graduation date and if you would need to take courses over the winter and summer break to catch up. I completed the program as a Top 10 scholar, ranked #5 out of 48 and placed into Calculus I but was able to test out, Each Top ten scholar was awarded a scholarship and laptop computer. As a Honors Student and PACE scholar, I was able to pay my way through University. All my general education courses were honors and I began as a first semester freshman in Calculus II, The next 5 years shaped the trajectory of my academic and professional career. I was fortunate to begin my career as an Engineer working in the industry by participating in 4 cooperative internships while still pursuing an undergraduate degree. As part of my first two internships, I took a semester off from school and moved to Louisville, Kentucky to work Full Time for General Electric as a Quality Engineer and Business Team lead, Upon my return, I enrolled in the 3+2 BS/MS Accelerated Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering program and began taking graduate level courses my junior year while working as a graduate teaching assistant and research assistant in Satellite/Radio Frequency Engineering, and an Engineering Intern for Lockheed Martin. I graduated December of 2016 with my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering and was rehired as a Full Time Hardware Electronics Engineer working on advanced systems and flight hardware.
June of 2024, I celebrated 9 years at Lockheed Martin, 3 years as a Program Manager, 13 years working in industry and 15 years since my very first job pushing carts, bagging groceries and stocking shelves at Safeway. I have continued to excel academically and professionally seeking growth opportunities both in and outside the workplace.

In the midst of establishing my engineering career and obtaining my degrees, I also took on a hobby deejaying on campus and private events. At an early age, studying musical giants such as Michael Jackson, Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti and King Sunny Adé to name a few, my love for music and the arts deepened. I re-discovered his calling for music while attending Morgan State University in Baltimore MD. I began producing and mixing music on FL studios and Virtual DJ. Shortly after, began deejaying on and off campus and was recognized as one of the Morgan State DJs following DJ 5-Starr, DJ Flow, and DJ C-Stylez. My DJ career spans 14 years with the last 4 years as the owner and CEO of Naija Boyz Entertainment where I continue to perfect my craft as an open format/global Dj, versatile Emcee, event curator and management service. Having performed in front of crowds of 500-5000+ people during conferences, homecoming events, weddings, and festivals; I know how to influence and captivate any crowd. I instilled the same level of discipline, being passionate about my hobby that it grew into a career to complement my engineering and now a legitimized business. I am thankful for all the lessons I have learned along the way in my pursuit of academic excellence.

When not behind the turntables or in a buttoned up suit working as an Engineer, I volunteer for STEAM outreach and Professional Development. I seek to open up a recreational center for kids and people of all ages to learn about STEAM, Music, Sports, and promote academic excellence in underrepresented communities. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, playing sports, video games, catching up on shows and networking. I can honestly say that I am proud of the man I have become living out my dreams of being both an engineer and a musician while establishing the foundation to explore other interests as well such as travel and hospitality. I have been fortunate to travel to 7 countries, and roughly 39 states and created a website that incorporates all three passions into one (music, travel and experiences).

I am a visionary and goal-oriented, resilient, experienced professional with a strong passion for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics), music and entertainment. I am a Certified Principal Engineer, Certified Control Account Manager and Program Manager with 14 years of experience in the Engineering, Technology & Defense Industry. I am also a proud business owner, entrepreneur and professional disk jockey (DJ) by the code name “Superfli”. I am presently pursuing a project management professional certification and Masters in Business Administration to further enhance my skill sets, diversify my portfolio of knowledge and remain value-additive.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

There have been several times where I considered giving up due to obstacles and challenges. Although , most were circumstances out of my control, they still served as significant events on my journey and were obstacles I had to persevere in order to make it to where I am today. In December 2018, I had my car broken into and backpack stolen. I was devastated because the contents of the backpack included a brand new laptop, iPad and external hard drive with my entire music library backed up on it. I thought my career as a DJ was over. Years worth of music plus the means to restore the library gone with it. Thankfully I still retained my PACE laptop from freshman year 2011 which held the majority of my music library however, all the music I had accumulated since I purchased the new laptop and hard drive were forever lost. I essentially had to rebuild with a laptop that was over 5 years behind.

Other obstacles/challenges to note are having to pay my tuition out of pocket for a semester without financial aid.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I am a visionary and goal-oriented, resilient, experienced professional with a strong passion for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics), music and entertainment. My undergraduate and Masters Degree are in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a concentration in Power Electronics. Presently, I am a Certified Principal Engineer, Certified Control Account Manager and Program Manager with 14 years of experience in the Engineering, Technology & Defense Industry.

I am proud of the work I do everyday at it has an impact in ensuring the safety and livelihood of those in the armed forces who rely on our systems, capabilities and platforms everyday. I am widely known for my transferable and adaptable skills as a self starter, my strong interpersonal skills, work ethic and professionalism. I would say my keen attention to detail is what sets me apart from others

What’s next?

Academically – I am presently pursuing a project management professional certification and Masters in Business Administration to further enhance my skill sets and diversify my portfolio of knowledge.

Entrepreneurially – I am looking forward to scaling my apparel and entertainment business to a broader audience traveling the world utilizing my talents to uplift, motivate and help others

Pricing:

• Club/Small Event Host/DJ/Emcee Rates $200/hr
• Private Event Host/DJ/Emcee Rates $350/hr for events under 6 hours. Events over 6 hours will start at $2000 min
• Merchandise – No Items exceed $150 USD
• Travel/Lodging – $1000 for distance over 500 miles
• Wedding all inclusive packages start at $2500 includes Videographer, Photographer, Uplighting and Sound. Additional vendor services can be adding for additional charge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.superflivibes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djsuperfli/profilecard/?igsh=eG11d3B5Z2EwNGM3
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.superfli?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasopia?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Twitter: https://x.com/djsuperfli?s=21&t=3PqCn4L-7auWgXEoh_S38g
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@djsuperfli?si=dpZSvWFfEOoqCPOb
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomas-superfli
• Other: https://atmosfy.io/djsuperfli

Image Credits

@VZNRY_MEDIA