Oluysei’s said in his speech that his scientific research had much to do with “hacking stars." His goal is to better understand the works of the universe and to develop new and innovative technologies to bring science forward.

His goal with science education is to convey information effectively and efficiently. He likes to share the perks of being a scientist.

“For me, I like to talk to students about the elements of being a scientist that you never really hear about,” Oluysei said. “For example, I’ve been to 44 countries now. Guess how many of those trips I paid for? Zero. You get so many benefits from being a scientist.” 

Growing up in a poor home in rural Mississippi, he said is driven to provide an education that allows an equal opportunity to African American children of all backgrounds.

“You think about impacting people’s lives through making discoveries, developing technology, but really, for me, it’s bridging that gap," Oluysei said. "I feel like we self-edit. People think oh, I can’t do that, I thought I was dumb until I saw you.” 

Oluysei said he has people from all walks of life constantly reaching out to him.

Just a few days ago, he said someone wrote to him, saying they had become a math teacher just because of him. Others wrote to remind him of the time he visited their village and inspired them to get their degrees in electrical engineering.

“That stuff is way more fulfilling to me than any invention, any scientific discovery, just impacting people’s lives,” Oluysei said. 

He said teaching people to believe in themselves is mind-blowing.

His own story is indicative of that change. After being honorably discharged from the Navy due to his skin condition, he enrolled in Mississippi’s Tougallo College, where he was unaware that he had to actually apply before showing up. He ended up dropping out, working as a hotel janitor and eating guests’ leftovers and then coming back to school to earn his degrees in math and physics.

He went on to study at Stanford. After failing the qualifying exam countless times, he eventually graduated in 1999 with a Ph.D. in physics.

Later in life, he would be invited to speak at Tougallo College, now as a respected and famous astrophysicist. Running full circle, his team had him stay at the same hotel where he had worked at to survive years earlier.

In his early twenties, Oluysei fell victim to cocaine addiction, having been surrounded by it his entire life.

“I was doing it for self-destruction,” Oluysei said. “At the ages of 21, 23, and 25, I was addicted. I found myself at gunpoint on at least 10 separate occasions. 

At one point, Olusysei found himself feeling tired of the life he had carved out for himself. Oluysei admitted that it took him five years to quit.

“The thing that was happening for me is that it lived in my head, just like how people say that it talks to you," Olusysei said. "I was like, 'Ahh, I see now, if I do it, I’m not gonna get high, I’m gonna get low,' because the second you hit that pipe, you’re right back where you were, looking for that next hit.”