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Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University - Education (3) - Nairaland

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Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by toprealman: 8:41pm On May 06, 2017
tensazangetsu20:
That was inspiring. I wish I could go ahead an do my masters but my grades are subpar at the moment. I will still give it a shot though.
Don't let that stop you. Go in for a PGD.....bang in those high grade( u can do it!) Make sure you are in the right field.....trust me it is never late.

1 Like

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Kfed4ril(m): 8:59pm On May 06, 2017
Anuoluwapo3054:
IPOB WILL NOT LIKE THIS....I SWEAR

Your name doesn't match your sense.

2 Likes

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Nobody: 9:08pm On May 06, 2017
Deep introspective quotes there
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by tensazangetsu20(m): 9:12pm On May 06, 2017
toprealman:
Don't let that stop you. Go in for a PGD.....bang in those high grade( u can do it!) Make sure you are in the right field.....trust me it is never late.
Am doing a Bsc in marine engineering and will graduate with a 2.92 on a 4.0. My aim is ultimately a Phd in naval architecture but most schools have insane strenous requirements even for a masters degree.

1 Like

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Amoto94(m): 9:26pm On May 06, 2017
Timely piece with piercing thought provoking words.

1 Like

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by toprealman: 9:30pm On May 06, 2017
tensazangetsu20:

Am doing a Bsc in marine engineering and will graduate with a 2.92 on a 4.0. My aim is ultimately a Phd in naval architecture but most schools have insane strenous requirements even for a masters degree.
Like I said, PGD can help if you get a no with present result..... which is not bad if you ask me!

1 Like

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by JARUSHUB: 9:40pm On May 06, 2017
chuose2:
Anything worthwhile in Nigeria comes from the South.

The South needs to wake up and know that the North is simply free loading.

When Lagos asked for 1% of budget as former capital,
It was rejected by the North.

When Niger Delta was given a promise that oil companies will relocate to the Niget delta, again the North Rejected it.

Yet the North get most of the top positions in govt.

We in the South need to ask ourselves a question, what good does the North give us?

We spend our money educating our children, and the North takes them for cheap under the guise of NYSC.

They bring the least and take the most.

Although Yoruba, he is actually from the North (Kwara).

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by thompsob(m): 10:43pm On May 06, 2017
I knw Taiwo will go this far right from our first year in OAU. Hes so exceptional, religious and calm.
MT as we used to call him, on behalf of all 2006 chemical engineering set,i say kudos to u.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Olomigbona(m): 11:00pm On May 06, 2017
Awesome
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by akigbemaru: 11:01pm On May 06, 2017
JARUSHUB:
Michael,33, holds a first class Chemical Engineering degree from OAU (2006) and PhD from University of Arkansas (2012). He is also a columnist with JarusHub Career website. We think many people will find motivation in this speech.

DREAM

By Michael Taiwo, PhD

This is the transcript of the speech I delivered at the 2017 Chemical Engineering Spring Banquet in Fayetteville, AR on May 4, 2017. The audience of about 150 people comprised of Professors, graduating Chemical Engineering students (Bachelors, Masters and PhD) and their friends and families.


I flew in last night and it brought back memories of the first time I flew into XNA. I was expecting 8-lane highways, high-rise buildings, high-speed trains…just like in the American movies I saw back in Nigeria. Instead, I came out of this airport, and all I saw were… cows. I felt like I bought the wrong ticket.

I remember seeing so many trees without leaves. The driver told me that’s why it’s called the Dead of Winter. “Don’t worry, it will get better.” Of course, it got worse. We had an ice storm!

I lived in Lagos, a city of 20 million. I’m used to seeing people everywhere. I remember my first day of class, I stepped out of my apartment and saw nobody. I didn’t think anything of it. I got on the street and still nobody! How can there be so much space with not even a single soul in sight?

But my most vivid memory was standing in front of Old Main and thinking to myself “I made it! I made it!!” Why was I so giddy? It’s because I almost did not make it. I almost allowed fear to kill my dream of coming to the United States, of getting a PhD, of pushing myself to the limit.

You see, I finished my Bachelors in Chemical Engineering with First-Class Honors, I won some competitive awards along the way and had an impressive resume. With my profile, I could get any job I wanted in Nigeria, move into a nice neighborhood and just enjoy life. Not bad for a boy that was raised on less than 50 cents a day. The problem was that I wanted more. I wanted to experience places I only read about in books. I wanted the highest academic degree I could get. I wanted to study here, and broaden my knowledge, challenge my perspectives, engage with the world…I wanted more.

The only thing that stood in my way was fear, the fear of everybody around me. Those closest to me didn’t understand why I would want to leave a guaranteed good life for an uncertain future. Arkansas?! Where is that? Do you know anyone there? Nope. Have you ever been there? Nope. Why not consider a bigger, more diverse city? I kinda like the program they got going at Fayetteville. These are just a sample of the questions I had to field from those genuinely concerned for me.

This back and forth was still going on, when, on the morning of April 16, 2007, a senior at Virginia Tech opened fire, killing 32 people and wounding 17 others. It was the deadliest shooting ever on an American campus. I remember the details of the massacre because almost everyone forwarded me the news. I now had a clear choice to make: allow the actions of a deranged young man to derail my dreams or move forward in spite of the fear? I am here tonight because I chose my dream over fear.

Attending this school ranks as one of my best decisions. I made friends here [that] I’ll keep for life. Some of them are in this room. This is where I fulfilled a long-cherished dream of becoming a Doctor of Engineering. And, let’s face it, what’s better than being a Razorback!

Look, your dreams will always exist side by side with your fears. Both of them are a product of your rich imagination. And you have the power to make one or the other a reality. To have life, to have liberty, to have happiness, you need to feed your dreams and starve your fears. What will prevent you from living the life you want is not lack of money, or lack of time or lack of talent. What will prevent you from living the life you want is a lack of belief in your dreams. You have to believe your dreams to make them real.

People ask me how I survived poverty. How can a poor boy with no money and no connections in an impoverished society make it? The answer is surprisingly simple. I dream. I DREAM. The life I lead today is the product of my dream yesterday. I am dreaming right now of the life I want to lead tomorrow and I will not let fear dictate what I can or cannot become.

The most pernicious fears are not those of others but those that come from within, those that nag at you at every turn, seeking to paralyze you into inaction. As I was completing my program here, I was suddenly faced with the realization that I had spent my entire life in school, from Pre-K to PhD. [But seriously] I had been told about how real life is different from school; and how the school system does a horrible job of preparing students for success. Somehow, I took these well-meaning but misguided opinions as self-evident truths. On one hand, I was happy to be finishing my PhD; on the other, I was afraid, afraid that, perhaps, my best years were behind me.

But I have always dreamt of going into the oil and gas industry. Nigeria has plenty of oil and gas so it was a childhood dream. Here again, my dreams came face to face with my fears. I could go into the industry and fall flat on my face or I could stay in the familiar academic world. I have many brilliant friends who finished a PhD, went on to do a post-doc and took up a position with a university. It’s a great career. It’s just not my dream. If I followed their footsteps, it would be out of fear. And you can never have a great career based on fear.

It turns out my fears were unfounded. Work is very much like school. At school, you do your homework and receive a grade. Same thing in the office. In school, you take many classes at once; at work, you will have several projects simultaneously. More important, when you pass an exam, you are promoted, then given a more difficult exam. It will be the same at work. It’s actually better at work because each promotion comes with…privileges. I might have stayed in school forever if I get a big bonus for passing exams! So do not cast away your confidence which has a great recompense of reward. Don’t let anyone scare you that you are now entering the real world as if the last four years weren’t real. Real world is surviving homework after homework while still having time for friends, family and Bikes Blues and Barbeque.

I have a career, today, that only existed in my imagination just a few years ago because I fed my dreams and starved my fears. Is it possible that I could have gone into Corporate America and failed? Absolutely. But I have made a lifelong commitment to acknowledge my fear without catering to it. I have made it second nature to nurture my dreams because that is the only way to turn them into reality.

Friends, you are moving into the next chapter of your life. And I would be surprised if on some level, you are not afraid. The unknown can be scary. Fear during a transition is natural, even expected. But don’t let fear factor into your decisions. Move as if you cannot fail. The odds may be stacked against you but you can beat the odds. People beat the odds every day, why not you? Let your dreams be the driver, taking you to places you have only been in your head. People ask me if I consider myself fortunate. Yes. I have been fortunate to be bold. Fortune favors the bold.

When you have kids, you watch kid movies. Last week, we saw one from Disney called Zootopia. I can’t tell you what the story was about but a few lines from the sound track stuck with me. At various points during the movie I heard the words “Try Everything; I’ll keep on making those new mistakes; I’ll keep on making them every day.” Disney just distilled my entire message about dreaming more and fearing less into three sentences. So to the class of 2017, I say: Try Everything; Make New Mistakes; Make Them Every Day. Thank you.

http://www.jarushub.com/you-can-never-have-a-great-career-out-of-fear/?doing_wp_cron=1494078139.6690709590911865234375
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by GreatManBee: 11:32pm On May 06, 2017
JARUSHUB:
Michael,33, holds a first class Chemical Engineering degree from OAU (2006) and PhD from University of Arkansas (2012). He is also a columnist with JarusHub Career website. We think many people will find motivation in this speech.

DREAM

By Michael Taiwo, PhD

This is the transcript of the speech I delivered at the 2017 Chemical Engineering Spring Banquet in Fayetteville, AR on May 4, 2017. The audience of about 150 people comprised of Professors, graduating Chemical Engineering students (Bachelors, Masters and PhD) and their friends and families.


I flew in last night and it brought back memories of the first time I flew into XNA. I was expecting 8-lane highways, high-rise buildings, high-speed trains…just like in the American movies I saw back in Nigeria. Instead, I came out of this airport, and all I saw were… cows. I felt like I bought the wrong ticket.

I remember seeing so many trees without leaves. The driver told me that’s why it’s called the Dead of Winter. “Don’t worry, it will get better.” Of course, it got worse. We had an ice storm!

I lived in Lagos, a city of 20 million. I’m used to seeing people everywhere. I remember my first day of class, I stepped out of my apartment and saw nobody. I didn’t think anything of it. I got on the street and still nobody! How can there be so much space with not even a single soul in sight?

But my most vivid memory was standing in front of Old Main and thinking to myself “I made it! I made it!!” Why was I so giddy? It’s because I almost did not make it. I almost allowed fear to kill my dream of coming to the United States, of getting a PhD, of pushing myself to the limit.

You see, I finished my Bachelors in Chemical Engineering with First-Class Honors, I won some competitive awards along the way and had an impressive resume. With my profile, I could get any job I wanted in Nigeria, move into a nice neighborhood and just enjoy life. Not bad for a boy that was raised on less than 50 cents a day. The problem was that I wanted more. I wanted to experience places I only read about in books. I wanted the highest academic degree I could get. I wanted to study here, and broaden my knowledge, challenge my perspectives, engage with the world…I wanted more.

The only thing that stood in my way was fear, the fear of everybody around me. Those closest to me didn’t understand why I would want to leave a guaranteed good life for an uncertain future. Arkansas?! Where is that? Do you know anyone there? Nope. Have you ever been there? Nope. Why not consider a bigger, more diverse city? I kinda like the program they got going at Fayetteville. These are just a sample of the questions I had to field from those genuinely concerned for me.

This back and forth was still going on, when, on the morning of April 16, 2007, a senior at Virginia Tech opened fire, killing 32 people and wounding 17 others. It was the deadliest shooting ever on an American campus. I remember the details of the massacre because almost everyone forwarded me the news. I now had a clear choice to make: allow the actions of a deranged young man to derail my dreams or move forward in spite of the fear? I am here tonight because I chose my dream over fear.

Attending this school ranks as one of my best decisions. I made friends here [that] I’ll keep for life. Some of them are in this room. This is where I fulfilled a long-cherished dream of becoming a Doctor of Engineering. And, let’s face it, what’s better than being a Razorback!

Look, your dreams will always exist side by side with your fears. Both of them are a product of your rich imagination. And you have the power to make one or the other a reality. To have life, to have liberty, to have happiness, you need to feed your dreams and starve your fears. What will prevent you from living the life you want is not lack of money, or lack of time or lack of talent. What will prevent you from living the life you want is a lack of belief in your dreams. You have to believe your dreams to make them real.

People ask me how I survived poverty. How can a poor boy with no money and no connections in an impoverished society make it? The answer is surprisingly simple. I dream. I DREAM. The life I lead today is the product of my dream yesterday. I am dreaming right now of the life I want to lead tomorrow and I will not let fear dictate what I can or cannot become.

The most pernicious fears are not those of others but those that come from within, those that nag at you at every turn, seeking to paralyze you into inaction. As I was completing my program here, I was suddenly faced with the realization that I had spent my entire life in school, from Pre-K to PhD. [But seriously] I had been told about how real life is different from school; and how the school system does a horrible job of preparing students for success. Somehow, I took these well-meaning but misguided opinions as self-evident truths. On one hand, I was happy to be finishing my PhD; on the other, I was afraid, afraid that, perhaps, my best years were behind me.

But I have always dreamt of going into the oil and gas industry. Nigeria has plenty of oil and gas so it was a childhood dream. Here again, my dreams came face to face with my fears. I could go into the industry and fall flat on my face or I could stay in the familiar academic world. I have many brilliant friends who finished a PhD, went on to do a post-doc and took up a position with a university. It’s a great career. It’s just not my dream. If I followed their footsteps, it would be out of fear. And you can never have a great career based on fear.

It turns out my fears were unfounded. Work is very much like school. At school, you do your homework and receive a grade. Same thing in the office. In school, you take many classes at once; at work, you will have several projects simultaneously. More important, when you pass an exam, you are promoted, then given a more difficult exam. It will be the same at work. It’s actually better at work because each promotion comes with…privileges. I might have stayed in school forever if I get a big bonus for passing exams! So do not cast away your confidence which has a great recompense of reward. Don’t let anyone scare you that you are now entering the real world as if the last four years weren’t real. Real world is surviving homework after homework while still having time for friends, family and Bikes Blues and Barbeque.

I have a career, today, that only existed in my imagination just a few years ago because I fed my dreams and starved my fears. Is it possible that I could have gone into Corporate America and failed? Absolutely. But I have made a lifelong commitment to acknowledge my fear without catering to it. I have made it second nature to nurture my dreams because that is the only way to turn them into reality.

Friends, you are moving into the next chapter of your life. And I would be surprised if on some level, you are not afraid. The unknown can be scary. Fear during a transition is natural, even expected. But don’t let fear factor into your decisions. Move as if you cannot fail. The odds may be stacked against you but you can beat the odds. People beat the odds every day, why not you? Let your dreams be the driver, taking you to places you have only been in your head. People ask me if I consider myself fortunate. Yes. I have been fortunate to be bold. Fortune favors the bold.

When you have kids, you watch kid movies. Last week, we saw one from Disney called Zootopia. I can’t tell you what the story was about but a few lines from the sound track stuck with me. At various points during the movie I heard the words “Try Everything; I’ll keep on making those new mistakes; I’ll keep on making them every day.” Disney just distilled my entire message about dreaming more and fearing less into three sentences. So to the class of 2017, I say: Try Everything; Make New Mistakes; Make Them Every Day. Thank you.

http://www.jarushub.com/you-can-never-have-a-great-career-out-of-fear/?doing_wp_cron=1494078139.6690709590911865234375
I love this.

1 Like

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by ifeanyiAdemola: 12:51am On May 07, 2017
AbakalikiPress:


There is Nothing special about being Yoruba and supporting IPOB. You support them... so?
I know several Yorubas who support IPOB and wish Igbos well to get Biafra. That is why I will always speak out against tribalism.
speak out speak out ni

jetleee show yourself..hiding under different monickers to insult Igbo's
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by aariwa(m): 1:34am On May 07, 2017
Youpele52:

Look, your dreams will always exist side by side with your fears. Both of them are a product of your rich imagination. And you have the power to make one or the other a reality.



Let that sink in.
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Burgerlomo: 1:51am On May 07, 2017
Congratulations
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Anuoluwapo3054(m): 6:55am On May 07, 2017
Kfed4ril:


Your name doesn't match your sense.
And your comment depicts gibberish.... Go get sense bro.
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by tukdi: 8:03am On May 07, 2017
CACAWA:
hmmm
The secret to high grades in the university is "MNEMONICS"
I swear.

What is MNEMONICS? undecided

Pls answer needed Asap! cool
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by bfn1: 8:32am On May 07, 2017
How inspiring!

Don't give in to fear. Fortune favours the bold.
Now, go knock at that door!

I'm talking to myself grin
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by CACAWA(m): 8:47am On May 07, 2017
tukdi:



What is MNEMONICS? undecided


Pls answer needed Asap! cool

lol..its just a way of helping your memory to remember a very long list of boring points you may need in your exam.

for instance, if in your note, it says the advantages of blablabla are:
speed, accuracy, cost-effective, reliable, repairable and easy to use.

In the exam, how can you remember all these points? considering how many other things you need to put in your head for all other courses that you must equally do well in.

Mnemonics means you should creae an abbrevation for them and use simple words to make sense of it, an example will be:

SACRRE - See As Chairman Really Relax Ehn?

This is one method I used in remembering the first 20 elements of the periodic table back in high school.
If you can use this method for your revision, you will find yourself having surplus points in the exams when the question says
"Discuss four advantages of blablabla", you will easily drop 6 advantages.
Also, you can then focus most of your brain power on the mathematical side of things to score higher marks overall

4 Likes 1 Share

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by tukdi: 8:55am On May 07, 2017
CACAWA:


lol..its just a way of helping your memory to remember a very long list of boring points you may need in your exam.

for instance, if in your note, it says the advantages of blablabla are:
speed, accuracy, cost-effective, reliable, repairable and easy to use.

In the exam, how can you remember all these points? considering how many other things you need to put in your head for all other courses that you must equally do well in.

Mnemonics means you should creae an abbrevation for them and use simple words to make sense of it, an example will be:

SACRRE - See As Chairman Really Relax Ehn?

This is one method I used in remembering the first 20 elements of the periodic table back in high school.
If you can use this method for your revision, you will find yourself having surplus points in the exams when the question says
"Discuss four advantages of blablabla", you will easily drop 6 advantages.
Also, you can then focus most of your brain power on the mathematical side of things to score higher marks overall

I celebrate u! grin

Thank u! cool

1 Like

Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Adabite(m): 7:41pm On May 07, 2017
Highly Inspiring. i've got a lot 2 learn.
Re: Inspiring Speech Delivered By Young Nigerian Engineer @ Arkansas University by Nobody: 1:04am On May 25, 2017
Baba, your sobriquet reminds me or Mr Akinkumi. Welldone and congratulations. You're truly an example to others.

1 Like 1 Share

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