About
The Yard
Against All Odds & 3 Prophytes
The 5-headed machine leading our old-gold and black efforts on Stanford's campus are our established Brothers Alonzo T. Sexton, III, Olatayo A. Sobomehin, and Otis D. Ward, IV, as well as the newly initiated Brothers Tafara D. Vera and Agamnelechim E. Iheanyi-Igwe. Distributed amongst the various colleges of the university, these brothers are constantly working around campus through academic, professional, and service work. Listed below are short autobiographies provided by each Brother (but feel free to connect with them to get the full story).
Brother
Otis D. Ward, IV
What’s Good! My name is Otis Ward, and I’m a sophomore at Stanford University majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I’m originally from West Oakland, CA, and my passions revolve around advancing technology and empowering my community. Over the years, I’ve gained valuable experience through internships with Intel, MissionBit, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and PG&E. At PG&E, I worked in the IT department, developing Salesforce solutions like the Email-to-Case function to streamline customer support processes.
I also collaborated with PG&E and filmmaker Joshua Reiman on a short film titled Change The System: Building Black Wealth. The documentary highlights my journey as an Oakland high school senior attending financial education classes at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business while preparing for college life at Stanford. The film addresses the racial wealth gap in America, earned awards, and helped inspire California AB 2927, a law requiring high school seniors to take personal finance classes.
I’m passionate about serving others and exploring topics like racial identity and cultural inclusion. As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, I’m committed to using my knowledge and experiences to uplift my community.
In my free time, I enjoy cheering on the San Francisco 49ers, playing video game, collecting sneakers and staying connected to the culture and people who inspire me. I’m driven by a desire to make a lasting impact through technology, storytelling, and community empowerment.
