Tuesday, 30 December 2014

RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF 2014


The new year commenced on a wonderful note with the continuation of my role as a GSA barely 4 months to the completion of my tenure. In the course of that I was assigned the following roles, where I worked assiduously for the success of the task:

  •    Chairman ULES INTELLECT Committee
  •      Publicity Secretary Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) week
  •    Team lead final year project



Last Google Sensitization Event on Campus



Amazing Google Students Club (GSC) Members


Chairman ULES INTELLECT Committee
As the head of the committee comprising 10 members I was saddled with the responsibility of organizing the University of Lagos Engineering Society (ULES) Prodigio and Orator competition in the faculty. This competition is an annual competition organised by this committee. Prior to my appointment as the chairman of the committee, I was the General Secretary of the committee in the previous administration.
The first major task was to organize the ULES ORATOR competition taking cognizance of the need to present a candidate to represent the faculty in the most prestigious university debate. At the inception, I had borne in mind that less than 8 of the members of the committee will be active in discharging the roles of the committee. From the weekly meetings I scheduled, I epitomized an upright head by being time sensitive and punctual. Sequel to 3 meetings held, I realized the ones that were ready to work and begun to assign responsibilities to them. I ensured that the PRO consistently communicated the progress of the committee to the faculty EXCO. After several deliberations on the modalities of the event, we finally resolved to make the competition a 3 stage event taking regard of the number of applicants.
Furthermore, the first stage of the Orator Competition had 28 contenders vying for the last 16 spot. The Panelist comprised lecturers with high proficiency in English speaking and writing also anchored by me. It was a keenly contested academic fiasco that produced 16 candidates for the next round of the competition. The same process was also applied in the last 16 before reaching the grand finale with last 8 all vying for the coveted top shot position. The panel of judges included lecturers from the faculty of Law and Art, an intense one hour and thirty minutes event with constructive and severe tackling among the debaters just to score points. The final finally emerged, thus an ordained female speaker with oratory prowess from the department of chemical who was billed to represent the faculty. Subsequent meeting after the Orator final, I suggested to the members of the committee to subject the representative to rigorous training to equip her ahead of the University debate. This yielded fruitful return as our painstaking efforts was not in vain; the faculty recorded a milestone as our representative emerged third among all faculties in the University of Lagos. It was indeed a celebration of excellence, hard work, diligence and commitment towards the successful pursuit of the committee lead by me.



PRODIGIO FINALE AWARD PRESENTATION

In addition, the preliminary of the ULES prodigio was also organized concurrently with the ULES Orator. It was made up of three stages and questions set spanned across quantitative, verbal and engineering knowledge. My roles were to ensure proper communication with the candidates, provided hitch-free venue for the competition, effectively delegated some members on some tasks that involve questions setting, provision of refreshments etc. Numerous challenges were encountered when some members default in their responsibilities, despite that I was well positioned to act as a cover in order to have a flawless event. The grand finale was contested among 5 intellectually upright students from the faculty. After several hours of an interesting contest, the overall winner finally emerged triumphing over others in a narrow outcome. The success recorded could be ascribed to effective planning, efficient time utilization, and support from the very few team members, hard work, commitment, resilience and desire to make positive impact.


Publicity Secretary Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Week
There is a banal mantra that says “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” Irrespective of my assiduous effort towards academic success and my being desirous to outperform in any leadership capacity am being positioned, I have never for once compromised my inclination towards my social life.
Firstly, a committee of 5 was constituted with the aim of organizing a mouth-watering week for the final year students of the department to relish their final stay on campus. It was however envisaged that the most difficult challenge would be the money collection from the final year students in the class. I would have volunteered earlier to be a part of the committee but I was engaged in some faculty and departmental leadership and project assignment. Barely two weeks before the scheduled date of the week only 20 out of a class of 90 had paid the mandatory amount to be a part of the week. I single-handedly spoke to 2 other classmates to join the committee in this rescue mission in other to leave a legacy for the coming set.


ECE FINAL YEAR PARTY
Afterwards, I consistently coaxed people, called them routinely by allowing them see the objective behind this and assured them of accountability in the use of the money. Thanks to Almighty God within 12 days the number of students that paid rose to 60. However, this was just the first phase of the feat of the week as we needed to strategize for the week proper. I made contact with the paparazzi, assisted in selection of the sweatshirt, and was significant in the planning of the final year party.  Numerous people had doubt in the party because of being an engineering department and the high boy to girl ratio. I took it upon myself and delegated some influential class members to escalate the publicity in all social media and among all Unilag students. The day of the party came up and we experienced some hitches which I confidently handled like the transport, delay from the caterer and also from the participating students. We recorded massive turn up of girls in the party of bout 3:1 to the extent that students from school had to join the party late at night to just to be a part of it. Class members vowed never to forget that day as the lingering perception about Engineering students organizing parties of such has been quenched.
My interpersonal skills, amiable nature, desire for success and the ability to collaborate was influential in the success of the Electrical and Computer Engineering week (ECE).

Team lead final year project
 I was selected as the team lead in the analysis design and construction of a GSM JAMMER for both indoor and outdoor use. This project was billed to be showcased by the University in a communication conference in faraway Abuja. I led the team of 3 that initiated the extensive analysis and design of the project. We consistently garnered tremendous knowledge about different simulation software to expedite the project. My domain was the generation of the Jamming Signal, which I synthesized and passed on the person in charge of the tuning frequency of communication before finally sending it to the Antenna for transmission. It was a herculean task that seemed very vague from the outset, but I deemed it fit to be completed as I regularly bolstered the confidence of my fellow team members that despite the obstacle that seemed insurmountable, we all should endeavor to complete whatever we lay our hands upon. However, I cannot undermine the colossal effort we received from the project supervisor Dr A.A Ayorinde whose support was very influential all through the construction stage.


At this juncture, an excerpt from Johnnie Walker will suffice the above-mentioned roles undertaken that says “Keep Moving”. Thanks to Almighty Allah that has kept me this far throughout my sojourn in the University and also in my aim to emerge a First Class (Hons.)  Graduate of this prestigious University. The struggle has never been easy, the atmosphere was hostile, the disappointments were numerous, disloyalty was conspicuous, act of being generous to others was not left out, but I ensured I made myself self-illuminating by epitomizing glimmer of hope even in despair. I envisage myriads of prosperity as we transit to this coming fruitful year of 2015.

Tuesday, 31 December 2013

REVIEW OF MY EXPERIENCE IN 2013

RETROSPECTIVE EXPERIENCE IN 2013 FOR sojiadvanced
It all commenced on a very bright note when the New Year began on the 1st of January, 2013. That period was the beta stage of my 400 level first semester prior to the commencement of my SIWES programme.  It was really hectic because I had to combine the vigor of the semester with my CCNA training during that period.
I was saddled with the responsibility of frequently touring the Island to submit IT letters in my quest to obtain a viable company to garner knowledge, skills, work experience and interact with an array of seasoned personnel. In the same vein, I was also attending a mandatory weekly training of Impact Your World Leadership Academy; A leadership initiative pioneered by a philanthropist in the Oil and Gas sector by name Engr.  Akin Odumakinde in his pursuit to imbibe valuable leadership attributes in the youth to act as change agent in order to overhaul the leadership decay currently plaguing the nation.
The series of trainings I attended weekly coupled with the lectures in school made me visualize the world in a much more mature way. During the course of that, I got an invite from a company for an interview ahead of my internship. The company’s name is INTERSWITCH and situated in Victoria Island. Coincidentally virtually ten students from my class and about ten other students in my faculty also got the invite for the interview. On a Wednesday morning the very day of the interview, we all got to the company before 9am partially prepared. We met an overwhelming number of students aspiring to secure a placement in one of Nigeria’s foremost debit card company that morning. To be very candid I was not deterred by the students present, I just had the fervent conviction that I was going to emerge top.
The interview room had 3 staffs from HR and six students were interviewed concurrently. We were asked 3 questions each and made to provide answers on the spur of the moment. I did my best possible and we were all informed that only qualified candidates will be contacted from about 90 applicants. Nearly two weeks after the interview, I was reached by the company to proceed for another interview sequel to my commendable performance in the premier one. That was also the penultimate week to my first semester exams. The very day of the second interview, six potential interns who qualified were made to face 3 out of the company’s directors. It was a very cold day, after series of questions were asked from my resume, personal life and leadership experience. As a result of my being articulate and confidence exhibited in my responses, one of the directors regarded me as an outstanding and vibrant undergraduate. Implicitly, it was as if I got the job but little did I know that disappointment was imminent not taking cognizance of the gross manipulations that has ravaged our corporate industries in Nigeria. During exam period, specifically a day before my final paper, I was called to appear at the company for medicals at the company’s diagnostic center in order to ascertain my medical state.
Subsequent to my medicals, it was finalized that I was to resume on the 1st of April and they promised to brief me on further modalities in due course. I had finished my most rigorous examination during that period. 400 level first semester was an unprecedented semester in my life at school, filled with intrigues, disappointments, exhaustion, altercations, little or no jovial period and more roles coupled with the fact that I was the secretary of the ULES INTELLECT committee. I was not called on the 1st of April to effect my resumption at INTERSWITCH. After waiting for two weeks I was suspecting an unpleasant act, my friends had the impression that I was already “chilling” working in that firm not knowing that I was in a dilemma because I had turned down offers from DELTAAFRIK ENG. LTD and another power firm for IT. I utilized that period to fortify my reading ahead of my Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam and patiently waited for my call to duty.
I realized the disappointment in the 3rd week of April. It was an excruciating news for me but had to take it with a strong fate. I took excerpt from a famous quote from Africa’s most revered leader Late Nelson Mandela who says “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but rising every time one falls”

I ensured that time was used in intensifying preparation for my CCNA exam and scheduled a date for my industrial exam. Also continued my search for another placement, Thanks to Almighty Allah I secured an internship at DELTAAFRIK ENG LTD via my ambassadorial position at the Impact Your World Academy. Initially, I had a strong passion for communication as a sub discipline for Electrical/Electronics (EE) but was pleased to work in the electrical part of an oil and gas industry. This one way or the other expanded my horizon in the field. During that period I was always attending the weekly training of the leadership academy and after about 7 months of intense training, we were ready for the formal graduation. I was inspired by the renowned, illustrious and visionary leaders that impacted virtues in about 50 ambassadors. Personalities like Bisi Oronsaye, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, ex minister of state for petroleum, directors in the oil and gas sector and sundry individuals steering the affairs of top flight companies in Nigeria.
The graduation was historic and a cherished moment for me.





LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE @ IYWLA GRADUATION






IMPACT YOUR WORLD LEADERSHIP ACADEMY GRADUATION @ BAY ATLANTIC, LEKKI

Few weeks after my graduation at IYWLA, I got a very pleasing mail from Google confirming my selection as the “GOOGLE STUDENT AMBASSADOR” @ University of Lagos and was to attend a mini summit scheduled in far-away Nairobi, Kenya. This was another feat recorded in both my leadership and academic pursuit. In the course of the preparation of my trip, I was extremely preoccupied having to extensively prepare for my CCNA and also perform work related activities at DELTAAFRIK.
I departed Nigeria for Kenya on the 2nd of July for the Google Student ambassadors’ mini summit for all sub Saharan Africa Ambassadors. It was an exciting, challenging, mind bugging, interactive and relishing experience. I got to interact with people from one of the foremost IT company globally and the opportunity to make friends from various countries in Africa. The exposure I had over there was profound, tours in the finest places in Nairobi and a visit to one of the largest malls in East Africa which was recently under attack by some heinous terrorists.
The knowledge I garnered about Google products, tools and technologies and especially their apps for education was highly appreciated. I was enormously refined, my horizon has been seriously augmented in the IT realm. All these would not have been complete without the fun we had in Nairobi. One of Google’s tradition is to always organize a party after every event. It was epic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



DAY 2 @ GOOGLE SUMMIT (VISA OSHWAL CENTER) NAIROBI, KENYA





NOCTURNAL GROOVE @ WESTGATE MALL WITH MY KENYAN & NAIJA GSA’s

After my return from Nairobi, my fellow UNILAG ambassador and I were ready for the task ahead of us, during our short stay over there we were already pondering over pragmatic plans to propel the University of First Choice to a Technology driven environment hovering around the Google Apps for education deployed for the students of the school.
My consistent nature ensured I took my professional exams without deferring it irrespective of the tasks at hand. Thanks to ALMIGHTY ALLAH, on the 12th of August I sat for my CCNA exam and performed excellently promptly seeing my result after the exam.



CCNA CERTIFICATE
 

However, I was extremely relieved after my industrial exam going through the rigor that I passed through during preparation. My dexterity in networking was partially exhibited in my place of work, laying helping hands to my colleagues in Information Management Dept. Thereafter, I was concentrating strictly on my role as a GSA in order to leave a lasting legacy to the incoming ones. We were expecting challenges, disappointments and inflammatory remarks from students in our quest to convince them to embrace this wonderful tool. I applied one of the key leadership attributes learnt in IYWLA as a Google Ambassador which is TEAM WORK. My colleague and I resolved to establish a student club to enhance the discharge of our responsibilities by actively engaging them in all ramifications. The club is tagged “GOOGLE STUDENT CLUB” and constitutes 21 members both males and females.
Thanks to the indefatigable effort and unswerving team members, we have organized 9 events in both the main campus and the medical campus irrespective of ASUU strike. This enormous accomplishments was acknowledged by the Google Ambassadors supervising team. Regardless of that, we are not resting on our oars and are geared to do more so long that the objectives of the “GSA&GSC” are in line.



GOOGLE APPS FOR SMARTPHONES @ THE MOBILE APPS TRAINING CITS, UNILAG







GOOGLE APPS TRAINING FOR AMSUL WEEK @ LUTH WITH ENERGETIC_MAYOWA (extreme left) and RENOWED_LECKAN

During my internship, I was privileged to work with an array of expatriate in oil and gas design projects. I acquired numerous skills and had the mastery of an utility design software. My cordial nature also enabled me to make friends both my ilk and the experienced staff, I got to know a lot about the roles of electrical engineers in the industry and work prospects that abound in the field.
After 6 months of hard work, dedication and commitment I rounded up my IT with a strong appeal from the electrical team for me to extend as a result of how instrumental I was in the ongoing SEPLAT MPFM INSTALLATION DED project. I would have loved to extend it, but as a result of the uphill task ahead I needed to shed some bunch of work off myself. As a tradition, the company organized a send forth for me to extend their appreciation for the services I rendered in the past few months.




SENDFORTH @ DELTAAFRIK ENG. LTD PASQUIANO, PDMS ENGINEER (LEFT), ENGR ELLIOT, SUPERVISOR (RIGHT)



To cap up this year with an arduous and mind blowing task, I was also selected amidst two others to undertake a communications project for my department. To be very candid, year 2013 has been a blissful year. Almighty Allah (S.A.W) has guided my family and me in all facet. Also, I also involved myself in several philanthropy act not minding my tender age because the spirit of helping and giving has been imbibed in me. It is a welfare scheme that I vow to continue and expand yearly, my secondary school teachers were not left out considering the significance of the impact they had in my growing and performance hitherto.

At this juncture, I will conclude taking an excerpt from a quote of a famous man named Johnny Walker who says as I quote “If you cannot crawl, then walk; if you cannot walk, then run; if you cannot run, then fly.  KEEP MOVING!!!” I cannot categorically say my year has been exceptional relative to others but I have satisfied my fervent will to continuously doing greater things by improving myself to be able to impact positively in the global community at large and provide succor for the downtrodden.



HAPPY NEW YEAR


BELLO ADESOJI TOLULOPE
GOOGLE STUDENT AMBASSADOR (UNILAG),
IMPACT YOUR WORLD AMBASSDOR.