A Nigerian-American, Ejenobo Ruth Oke was born in Tallahassee, Fla., but grew up in her father’s country. Her family returned to the United States in 1987. She attended high school at John Glenn H.S., in Walkerton, Ind., where she first began to take a serious interest in art. She attended Manchester University, where she studied painting, drawing, sculpture and fiber investigation. Oke graduated Summa cum Laude, in 1997, with a Bachelor of Art degree. In 1999, Oke continued her education by pursuing a graduate degree in the Visual Studies program at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Va. She graduated in 2001, with a Master of Fine Arts. Her thesis work entitled "The Blue Square and the Bed" focused her investigation on the interactions between the individual and the quilt. The Blue Square is a series of six handmade batik quilts that explore the life activities on and around the bed.
She spent five years teaching at Ford Middle School, and was named Teacher of the Year in 2003. In August 2006, she returned to Manchester as an art instructor. Currently, she teaches Basic Design, Elementary Art Education Techniques, Outdoor Sketching & Painting, 3-D Construction, Arts & Crafts, Fabric Design, Graphic Design and a First Year Colloquium.