2023: Life Wrapped
As another chapter of life gracefully turns its pages, I’m wrapped in a reflective mood. It’s that serene moment when you draw a breath, cast your gaze over the twists and turns, and truly acknowledge the raw humanity embedded in the journey of surviving 365 days. Before the allure of 2024 sweeps us away, let me take you guys on an inside scoop of highlights, and lessons that defined my 2023.
I won’t lie; it’s been one hell of a ride! And to my Nigerian readers, the sound that comes to mind every time I think about my year in review is, ‘if they no ginger you, ginger yourself, you self don try for yourself.’
In 2023, I consciously nurtured and reignited some old skills of mine, and looking back, I’m profoundly grateful that I did. One of them was public speaking.
Public speaking
Public speaking was a skill I nurtured while in college; it was my own little way of sharing my knowledge. Additionally, it played a pivotal role in addressing my insecurities and anxiety. Battling significant anxiety issues that led to speech impairment and challenges in pronouncing words accurately or crafting grammatically correct sentences, I took proactive steps to overcome these hurdles.
Back in college, I deliberately embraced the role of presenting in class, seizing opportunities to ask and answer questions boldly. Fast forward to the present, this skill has been instrumental in conveying my expertise in design, tech, gender advocacy, and more. This year, I was exceptionally intentional about honing this skill, and I take pride in having spoken at 12 events!
Here’s a glimpse of my speaking engagements throughout the year:
- Her Tech Story: Celebrating Women’s Achievements at Women TechMakers, Abuja Chapter
- Leveraging Productivity and Documentation for a Successful Career Growth at Friends of Figma, Africa
- The Future of UI/UX Design: Trends and Predictions at Jupita Academy
- How I built my career in product design at NorthenBox, Kenya.
- The Essence of User-Centered Design, Usability Testing, Accessibility, and Inclusion in UI Design at Friends Of Figma, Abuja
- Upscaling Your Career as a Designer at MusCreatives
- Design mentorship workshop at MentorH3R
- The Power Of Digital Transformation in Gender Advocacy, Policy at Ignite Conference by Tasck
- Doubt to Success: Strategies for Identifying Your Design Superpower and Building Confidence at Women Tech Makers, International Women’s Day
- LinkedIn Optimization at Muscreatives Community
- How Product Designers Can Earn Extra Money Selling Digital Products at Selar Creator Webinar
- Are No-Code Roles a Temporary Trend in Tech? at Path4Her
Travel
This was the year I finally used my international passport! My traveling escapades started as an intra-states one, visiting Lagos and Benin a couple of times for work. But that escapade took an extra interesting turn when I visited one of my dream vacation countries, Zanzibar. While visiting Zanzibar, I had a layover in Ethiopia, so technically, I went to two countries (lol, I’m part of those people that count their layover country as a country they visited). Zanzibar was amazing; I got to swim with dolphins, jet ski and kayak on beautiful clear blue waters, feed cute turtles, and enjoy the merry life of staying in a 5-star resort — Le Mersenne Zanzibar. Overall, it was simply amazing being able to leave your country for the first time and experience life from another.
New Career Milestone
In the aspect of my career, I attained new milestones where I acquired new knowledge, increased my earnings, and met incredible people with a wealth of knowledge and experience graceful enough to share.
The year kicked off with a transition to fully remote work for an African startup, Selar. What makes working at Selar special is the vibrant team of young individuals, driven by a passion for change and the pursuit of excellence and craftsmanship.
I also had the opportunity to be a consultant for a sector I never imagined I would work in — Government and international development enterprise. I got the amazing opportunity to work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to build the digital capabilities of Edo state civil servants. The experience taught me a profound lesson — the universality of the “User-Centered Design principle.” Its application extends beyond design, impacting various aspects of life. Placing users at the forefront yields significant positive outcomes.
Another milestone involved stepping into a leadership role, guiding and managing teams to develop impactful products. Among these creations that have now gone live are:
Lastly, I became an ex-corper after serving my country dutifully for a year!
Community building
I poured my heart into community building this year. I founded a Muslim-driven community called Muscreatives, a community for Muslim designers in Africa to connect, share knowledge, and share the Deen together. It was a beautiful idea I nurtured to life along side four incredible individuals (Abdulraheem Abdulsobur, Ibrahim Salami, Taofeeqah Bello, and Moshood Ajibose). So far, we have 200+ members and have hosted webinars, workshops, and Twitter spaces with the sole aim of elevating more Muslims to not just excel as a creative but as a Muslim.
I also founded Path4Her, a women-driven community that aims to spotlight non-coding roles in tech for teenagers and young women. This came about when I noticed that other aspects of tech are really not spotlighted aside from coding. People view tech as a coding sector without realizing other vital fields like product marketing, product design, product management. Path4Her aims to bring that spotlight with a focus on young women and teens. This year we had our first outreach at Government Secondary School Kubwa Abuja. We spoke to 50+ girls and provided curated free resources to learn each of these careers to their computer lab, and we came along with gorgeous merch designed by one of the best brand designers in Africa, Sweeney Okuma.
Books
I’ve rekindled my love for reading! This goal was so close to my heart, especially since I began working in tech. Back in school, I used to adore reading — whether it was fiction, non-fiction, or motivational; as long as it had a book cover, I was eager to dive into it. However, as life in the bustling tech world took over, I found myself hardly reading anymore. When I did manage to find time, I settled for an e-book. I’m delighted to share that I successfully revived the habit of reading hardcover books this year.
The future
As I’m writing the final piece of this article, I am filled with tears and so much gratitude. I‘m excited about the future and what 2024 unfolds.
Hopefully, this becomes a tradition from me to you. Have a blissful new year. Bye!
