₦airaland Forum

SMJay:
Elozini Olaniyam

Today I reflect on who I have chosen to be, a woman moulded by circumstances, culture and tradition but completed by grace.

You could say I was 'kind of' a tomboy as a child, with favourite pastimes of tree climbing or showing off my expert bicycle stunts around the neighbourhood. Bruises and sprains were a norm and I would usually have one or two bandaids on my body as a badge of honour. I loved Lego and grew into the Miss fix it for home gadgets- external help was only called when I couldn't figure out the problem. Note- I said 'kind of' a tomboy, because I still loved my princess dolls.

The choice of Engineering or Architecture for University came naturally, but was met with opposition by most adults. For the 1st time in my life, I heard girls couldn't be Engineers .. "it's a man's field", "you'll be all alone", "it will be challenging for you". And I struggled with what lay beyond just maths.

I should mention I went to a girls only high school. We did everything for ourselves; gardenening, cleaning, we played all sports, did all subjects, were Girl Guides, played both female & male roles in dramas. There were no gender rules, we existed in a world that said we could just be what we aspired to be.

Back to the university story, It was a deliberate choice to 'just be' what my heart wanted me to be. So I ignored the world and pitched my hat (pun intended) with the Engineering community.

•Is it a man's field? Yes. But it's a very large field with females owning their own territory one plot at a time.
•Have I been alone? It depends. Numerically, women in STEM courses remains a challenge till this day. I was 1 of 3 females in my Chemical Engineering course and till today I am sometimes the only female in the room. This has only built resilience and tenacity. And where there are no females we find male allies!
•Has it been challenging?. A loud YES. But then, we eat challenges for breakfast!. Getting out of bed every morning is a challenge but up we must. Challenges should never be a reason to abort an ambition.

Why all these ponderings? July is my annual checkpoint review season. While we can't change the past, we can learn from it. I'm grateful for the decision of a 15 year old to swim against the tide of cultural expectations. I'm grateful for the few strong amazing female Engineers that stick together in the universities and in the workplace, I'm grateful for the male allies I have met along the way, I'm grateful for the amazing organisation I work with that lets my spread my wings and I'm super grateful for my spouse (fellow Engineer) who lets me fly.

A last word, if you are ever in a position to coach or mentor a young female, don't distract her with the myths and expectations of the world, rather equip her and support her in achieving her ambitions in spite of it. Teach her to leverage her strengths and help her focus on achieving the small wins, they all add up.

JULY102022 REFLECTIONS

Dreal1247:
But there one peculiar occurrence with the luxuries of life. Irrespective of how much you cherish a particular luxury, the moment you acquire or achieve it, in no distant future, you no longer find it as enticing as before.

yeme7:
Despite the country is hard, there are many people who are lucky and doing great.

My own case is just too different. It seems I'm curse .

Why I'm being rejected for jobs .despite recommendations by friends.

Whyy me God .

I need your prayer pls..

rozaie:
I will never stoop to your low life, low self esteem bullying, from the looks of it it’s obvious who the devil’s advocate is . Rubbish

ZiniPips:
Threesha I would advise you learn a digital skill. Pick one and master it. You will thank me later. I can also help you create a trading account, manage and grow it for you and you are sure of reasonable returns monthly. You can start with as low as $50 and watch me give you that extra income you yearn for. The doors are still open for serious investors. Limited slots available. Hit me up on WhatsApp. Number on my signature. Have a lovely day!

mmadu5:
It's even cheaper compared to what we buy in Ghana . One liter of petrol is 10 cedis here. Which is around 600 or 700 naira per liter .

Emma2Seconds:
Which side u Base for your runz business??

Jubal01:
I beg to disagree. Assuming that that was ur company & because of dat stupid reason he keeps rejecting d best brains to ur company dat would have added more value 2 it. How will u feel?
Dat man is too wicked & egocentric. D company growth is not his aim but rather personal aim. So i wont hire him. He wont attract valuable people 2me, only mediocres like himself.

Spiff20:
Instead of the excerpts why not get the full book. Solacecopywriter@gmail.com that's my mail.

Dynamicbliss:
Quit

valentineuwakwe:
The street rough but i have learnt that my guy, my guy no dey for street!

hybridblood07:
Who told 7M is not enough? Must he build duplex??with 7M he can build a standard 3bedroom meanwhile he has a land with foundation

KristaPretty:
This Temi has been looking for abroad man since how many years now

She will just die single, longer throat

abuwidad:
Bros what's sad in changing environments and later come home to invest. Do we know the number of Indians and Chinese that are also japaing. Nigeria is not even comparable

Threesha:
Happy New Month fellas