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.
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LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE @ IYWLA
GRADUATION
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IMPACT YOUR WORLD LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
GRADUATION @ BAY ATLANTIC, LEKKI
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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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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DAY 2 @ GOOGLE SUMMIT (VISA OSHWAL
CENTER) NAIROBI, KENYA
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NOCTURNAL GROOVE @ WESTGATE MALL WITH
MY KENYAN & NAIJA GSA’s
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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.
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CCNA CERTIFICATE
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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.
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GOOGLE APPS FOR SMARTPHONES @ THE
MOBILE APPS TRAINING CITS, UNILAG
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GOOGLE APPS TRAINING FOR AMSUL WEEK @
LUTH WITH ENERGETIC_MAYOWA (extreme left)
and RENOWED_LECKAN
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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.
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SENDFORTH @ DELTAAFRIK ENG. LTD
PASQUIANO, PDMS ENGINEER (LEFT), ENGR ELLIOT, SUPERVISOR (RIGHT)
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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.
