Calling all the hotties who are working hard at figuring out their shit and moving towards the next step on their journeys. You inspire us 鈥� so much that we created a flagship dedicated to celebrating your success. 

In case you missed it, The Elevator is a mini-series dedicated to chronicling the journey of exceptional women in their careers as they make their way to the top. This year, in line with the official theme, 鈥淏reaking The Bias鈥�, we decided to expand the definition of 鈥榯he top鈥� from corporate, white-collar jobs to less conventional careers.聽

We chose the women in this series because they stand out in their fields, with award wins and features in international events and magazines as proof. Most of them found their passion at a young age and continued on their paths despite pushback from their parents. 

We have a multifunctional DJ,  a fast-rising musician, an award-winning artist, a crazy ambitious filmmaker, a fire feminist writer and an overachieving multipotentialite. These women define what success looks like to them and peddle that path on their own terms. 

For each of them, that path looks different. For Kiss, becoming an all-round international producer is the top she aspires to, while Chigozie Obi wants to be able to provide opportunities for other visual artists, especially women. One thing everyone featured in the series agrees on is that the top of their careers is a place they haven鈥檛 reached yet, but they know their way there. 

The top is a shapeshifting place defined by whoever is there or close enough. The world we aim to build is one where women can embark on the journey to success in their own ways, without the distractions posed by misogyny. The Elevator will lead that conversation with real-life examples. 

Now that The Elevator is over, HER still has a few special things lined up for the rest of the year. In May, we have ToHER, a series of letters written by women to the women in their lives. Also in May, us hot girls will be meeting up at some fun place to shake our asses. You don鈥檛 want to miss what we have planned for you. To stay tuned,

Nora Awolowo did what she had to when people around her didn鈥檛 believe in her dreams. At 19, she started her own production company, and by the end of 2019, when the awards started coming in, everyone else came on board. Nora is a 23-year-old filmmaker, and in today鈥檚 episode of The Elevator, she talks about her transition from photography to filmmaking and working towards her goal of being the first female cinematographer with a film in the Nigerian cinema. 

When did you notice your interest in photography? 

When I was a child, my dad would take us to a studio to take pictures every festive season. I thought it was quite interesting how photographers made pictures of our poses with the click of a camera. I looked forward to it every year. 

Did you want to be a photographer? 

No. My parents wanted me to study law. My brother was a computer engineer and my sister was going to become a medical doctor. It made sense for me to choose law but I wanted to be a banker. Bankers seemed smart and wore cool suits. I wanted to be like them. According to my dad, banking was easier than law, so I was being lazy. I stuck to it though. 

The banking dream followed me from secondary school to university, and eventually, my parents came around. They advised me to study accounting because with an accounting degree, I wasn鈥檛 limited to just working in a bank. I could also get hired in a non-financial firm. I wanted that flexibility, so I studied accounting at Ekiti State University. 

Uni experience in 3, 2, 1鈥� 

To be honest, I was just trying to prove that I could study accounting and come out with flying colours. In my first and second years, I was always in class and up to date with assignments. But then ASUU went on strike.

ASUU experience in 3, 2, 1鈥� How did that affect you? 

My parents wanted me to learn a skill. My mother suggested tailoring, but it wasn鈥檛 my speed at all. Around that time, I met someone on Twitter called Dapo*. He was serving as a dentist in Ekiti State Teaching Hospital. It was a date and we were talking about what we liked to do. I told him I liked to take pictures of people but couldn鈥檛 afford a camera. My pocket money from my parents at the time was 鈧�10k per month and a good camera was about 鈧�300k. 

Dapo said I shouldn鈥檛 let that stop me. He advised me to use my phone to take pictures in the meantime. He showed me photographers that used phones to take good pictures, and I was inspired. I started practising. Six months later, I got a job at a smartphone company. I was to create content with their smartphone. They didn鈥檛 pay a lot of money but within a few months, I was able to save up and get myself a camera. The same day I got my camera, someone asked me to cover a burial ceremony. I was really excited and I did a good job but I decided not to cover funerals again. I realised that I don鈥檛 like seeing coffins. 

Your parents seem to be very involved in your career trajectory. How did they feel about your new career path?

They weren鈥檛 very pleased when I told them I wanted to chase photography. My dad said, 鈥淵ou want to be collecting 鈧�200 for passport photographs on the streets, abi?鈥� I didn鈥檛 let their disbelief stop me though. My gigs had already started paying me good money so I stopped asking my parents for money. I focused on my work instead. 

Tell me about the work during that time. 

I started taking portraits of people. I enjoyed it so much but I realized I wanted something more. I wanted to do more than take pictures of people 鈥� I wanted to tell stories.

Before I could explore, ASUU strike ended and school resumed. I got gigs while I was in school. I got to work with people who made documentaries and I started filming behind the scenes of people’s jobs. The first person I shot was Lota Chukwu. I followed her while she worked on her food show, Lota Takes. 

In 2017, the principal of the project I was working on had to return to the UK impromptu. There was no one to edit the project so my team asked me if I could do it since I had been working on it with them for two seasons. I was hesitant at first but I decided to try. I read a lot of articles to help me. I was using a Windows laptop at the time so I used one of the inbuilt applications to edit the first clip. It turned out fine and that鈥檚 how I decided that I wanted to focus more on film. 

I asked some of my friends who edit professionally what software they use and how they worked. They gave me tips and helped me with the apps I needed. I started getting editing gigs. 

What about school?

My final year in school was difficult because I was barely in class. I was always working 鈥� I was in Lagos every other week for one project or the other. I graduated with a second class upper in 2019 and I was glad to be done. 

Were you still interested in accounting?

By the time I graduated, I had two years of experience working in the film industry so I started my own production company called Rivel studios. I promised myself I would create at least one personal project every year. Since then, I have shot three short films and a documentary. 

In 2019, I was on the 25 under 25 awards list for the media and communications category. In 2020, I was nominated for The Future Awards Africa prize for film. And again in 2021. The film I shot in 2021 called David won two awards and was selected for six international film festivals. To be honest, I can’t remember all the nominations and awards but these are the ones that put my foot forward in rooms. 

Mad o. What kind of rooms? 

At the end of 2021, I got an email from a huge production company about working on a project with me. I thought it was a scam at first but I read the email again and man, I was elated. Since then, I have worked on two projects with them. 

That鈥檚 amazing. I鈥檓 curious about what you are up to now. 

I’m currently shooting a film that’s going to be in cinemas in June 2022. I’m probably going to be the first female director of photography that has a film in the cinema in Nigeria. This is huge to me and I simply cannot wait. 

Would you say that you are at the top of your career? 

I’m on the journey to becoming one of the finest cinematographers in Nigeria. I want my company to be one of the best production companies in Nigeria. I want to work with more top production companies, like Amazon and HBO. I would like to have blockbusters in the Nigerian cinema. I want to tell stories that impact the lives of people. I want my work to cause awareness of important social issues. That鈥檚 when I鈥檇 say I鈥檓 at the top of my game. 

I hope you get there. What’s your work process like? 

My work is in two folds 鈥� client projects and personal projects. If it鈥檚 a client鈥檚 project, the first thing I do is decide if I want to take it on. This involves reading the brief and checking out the company and what they stand for. If the project aligns with my career goals, I take it on. Then I sit down for a conversation with the client before we start the production. I ask them for their vision for the project. This helps me choose the best base for production. After that, my team and I shoot and work on post-production. 

For personal projects, it鈥檚 different. Some projects are more tasking than others, but typically, it goes like this 鈥� I have an idea, I develop it, set it into preproduction, and then shoot before going into post-production and distribution. I work with my team of five. Sometimes, we hire freelancers to help us with projects. So far, we鈥檝e been doing great, I must say. 

Sounds about right. How do you deal with creative blocks? 

Two things help me with my creative block 鈥� sleeping and drinking. When I notice I am approaching a block, I take a glass of wine and sleep. Sleep helps me solve problems. When I wake up, I feel light-headed enough to attack the project better. I also watch movies to relax.聽

The last thing I do is research or ask people for help. Although, I believe some problems don’t need people to solve them because it鈥檚 yours to deal with. 

I feel you. If you could change anything about the trajectory of your career path, would you? 

Yes, I鈥檇 have liked to have a female mentor 鈥� a cinematographer. I feel like it would’ve helped me navigate the journey easier than it was for me. I know I found my way early, but with a female mentor, I鈥檇 have found my feet in the industry earlier. 

If you could tell your 15-year-old self something, what would you say? 

I鈥檇 say I鈥檓 glad I didn鈥檛 give up, despite what people said because I鈥檓 proud of where I am now right now. I鈥檇 tell her not to overthink things and just keep at it. It鈥檚 going to pay off someday. 

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What do you call a person with multiple successful careers? Adaora Mbelu! When she was a child, she wanted to become the United Nations secretary-general. At 15, Adaora represented Nigeria at the global young leader’s conference and everyone was convinced she was the next Ngozi Okonji Iweala. She continued on this path, but then she discovered she had multiple interests and could chase them all.  Adaora is a 35-year-old multipotentialite, and in today鈥檚 episode of The Elevator, she talks about building a career with three branches: mission, profession and philanthropy.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

The United Nations secretary-general. LOL. 

Why so specific? 

When I was seven, I had this textbook that had current affairs in it. The role of the United Nations secretary-general was defined in that book as being able to bring world peace. I wanted to be that person. 

Did you make moves to become United Nations Secretary-General?

Yes, I wrote stories about how I was going to tackle societal issues 鈥� I wanted to stop drug abuse and child enslavement. LOL. My parents thought it was fascinating that I wanted to save the world and they encouraged my dreams by buying me more books to read. 

In secondary school, my best subjects were government, literature, commerce, and economics. I was also great at writing and I loved to draw and sing. I was the kid at school who choreographed cultural dances and other entertainment activities.

I was a smart kid and everyone around me had faith in me. When I was 15, I represented Nigeria at the global young leaders鈥� conference in New York and Washington DC. Afterwards, I was invited to the conventional youth leadership in Vienna, Austria but I wasn鈥檛 available to attend. A lot of people used to tell me I was the next Ngozi Okonji Iweala.  

When I was 17, I moved to America for school. Influenced by what my dad studied, I studied economics and entrepreneurship at North Kentucky University. 

What was being in university like? 

It was fun. I was a scholar but I was also a social butterfly. I had a lot of friends and I was also involved in school politics. I was the president of the African Student Association and Vice President of the International Student Union in 2005 to 2007. I was also the one who brought people together for social activities.

Sounds fun.

Yea. It was while I was interacting with all these people and organising events I realised that I liked to help people become better versions of themselves. I had a lot of friends that were musicians, artists and writers. I used to help them create the structures that allowed them to make money from their skills. I did this alongside school and politics until I graduated in 2008. 

What happened after graduation?

I got a job at Citigroup as a credit analyst. I worked there for two and a half years before returning to Nigeria. My first job in Nigeria was at a virtual office service company where I worked for some months before I got a job at the Nigerian Idol show as an assistant project manager in 2013. 

Amazing, what was that like?

It was great. I got to meet a lot of the people who are superstars right now. I learned a lot about the industry and I did so well at the job that when it was time for season two, the managing director offered me the position of project manager for Nigeria鈥檚 got Talent. 

This was huge because I had no experience in TV production prior to working as an assistant. I was 24 by this time but he trusted me with the budgets, communicating with sponsors, production and all the other work that came with the job. I loved that I was allowed to create my own team and that gave me the chance to bring more young people on board. 

How did that go? 

It went well but I left after season one of Nigeria鈥檚 Got Talent to start an agency with my friend. It was a digital marketing company called The Innovation Factory. Our goal was to create digital identities for brands. This was 2015 鈥� a lot of brands were not online at the time. My friend and I were going to supermarkets and other small businesses to pitch the idea of them getting on social media to spur their growth. It worked out and we got clients but I left the company because my co-founder and I decided to get on different paths. 

What happened next?

I went back to TV production. I worked on the X factor as a digital content manager. I also worked on The Voice as an audition manager. I got to travel from one Nigerian city to the other auditioning people for the programme. It was a thrilling experience. During this time, I worked on several media projects as a freelancer, before starting an experiential and brand strategy agency.

After helping numerous brands and individuals find their voice, I realised what my work in my life is. 

Tell me about it.

I describe myself as a multipotentialite, whose life is divided into three parts: mission, profession, and philanthropy. 

On the mission side, I鈥檓 the co-founder of Lumination, an Afrocentric transformational learning company. We empower individuals and organisations to live a life of purpose and to embed this purpose throughout their work. We do this through corporate training. 

As for the professional side, I work as a brand strategist, who works with corporate brands to create campaigns, events, ideas and platforms. 

Finally, I run Socially Africa, a foundation that pays forward to society, through food drives and education amongst other things. 

When I was able to put together this definition of my career, I found that my work became more fulfilling. It brought me a sense of joy knowing that I could help brands, people and organisations 铿乶d their voices, own, and tell their stories. Each day I work towards growth and being on top of my game.

What does the top look like to you?

It鈥檚 being able to create opportunities for people. I want to be able to impact the lives of thousands of people positively. It also involves making a lot of money that allows me the freedom to be and do things as I want.

My ultimate goal is to be an angel investor that gives creative people money to run their projects. When I get there, that鈥檚 when I鈥檇 say I鈥檝e reached the top of my career. 

Nice, what’s your work routine like? 

I don’t have a work routine per se. Currently, I work out of two offices. The first one is for an organisation where I lead the creative services team. I work out of their office twice a week. 

On other days, I work out of my personal office or from home. Work happens differently on different days. Today, I’ve been on multiple phone calls because I’m working on briefs with clients outside of Nigeria. After those calls, I work at night to bring the brief to life. 

I also work simultaneously on building my business, Lumination. We are currently running a program called Switch On Mentorship and I have to jump to multiple calls to make that program successful. Tonight, we have a session on health awareness and I鈥檇 have to be there. My life gets busy but it’s the path I chose and I鈥檓 happy with it. 

Nice! I鈥檓 curious about how you deal with a creative block?

I do nothing. When I have a creative block, I know it’s my body trying to tell me that I need to quit and there’s no failure in quitting. Recently, I sent out a newsletter to my subscribers that I want to take a break from writing letters. This is because I reached a block 鈥� my mind is trying to tell me to do less and I am. 

When I take a break from whatever I鈥檓 dealing with, I write down the things that are bothering me. It鈥檚 only when I unpack those things that I鈥檓 able to fight the creative block. 

If you could change anything about the trajectory of your career path, would you?

Yes and no. Everything I鈥檝e experienced brought me to where I am now but there are a few things I鈥檇 probably do differently. One of them is not to be afraid to state my value in monetary terms. If earlier in life, I wasn鈥檛 afraid to state my value, I鈥檇 have made much more money by now.

What would you say to a 15-year-old version of yourself?

I鈥檇 tell her to focus on internal growth and becoming the best version of herself. Doing is important, but who you are at your core is more important. Understanding this is what will allow her to excel in any industry. 

Click here to read the previous Elevator story about Celebrity DJ Kiss.

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When did you notice your interest in music?

When I was about eight, I developed the habit of coming home early after school to listen to music. Watching music videos made me happy. At that time, African Prime, Galaxy TV and STV were reigning. 

Did you know what you wanted to be?

I wanted to become an engineer, but I didn鈥檛 like maths so that dream died fast. By the time I was in SS 1, I became famous in my class for my rapping skills. In SS 2, I asked my mum for money to record some of my songs and she gave it to me. I made the songs but didn鈥檛 do anything with them until after secondary school in 2012.

What happened in 2012?

I met a popular Lagos DJ on Facebook. I told him I was a rapper and sent him my songs. He liked them and started inviting me to perform at shows. 

What about school? 

I gained admission to the University of Ilorin to study English. But instead of reading Shakespeare鈥檚 poetry, I was busy trying to build my music career. LOL. I rapped at my hostel party, at my faculty dinner and other school events in my first year. 

In 200 level, I slowed down to chase a different kind of career in the entertainment industry. 

Why the change? 

I decided to learn DJing. I was inspired by a DJ that lived in my hostel. Anytime I heard music playing from his room, I鈥檇 go there to watch him work. After watching for a while, I saved money to buy a laptop and asked him to teach me. I also asked my mum to send the sound system we had at home. She did, and that鈥檚 how I started practising to be a DJ. This was in 2015. 

After a few months, I called another DJ I knew that played at clubs. I told him I had been learning but I wanted to take my skills to a professional level. He invited me to his club. I sacrificed so many nights to watch him play. I particularly loved that he played old school music because I am a sucker for it. I watched him for two months and then, I started playing at the club too. 

Nice. How long did you work there?

Four months. In 2017, I decided that I deserved more so I left for another club. It was a better opportunity because I got to meet a lot of people and got gigs outside of the club. But I didn’t get paid for months. 

In 2018, I won the Esteem Nigeria Youth award for female DJ of the year. I also won the DJ Neptune DJ challenge, which was a nationwide competition for emerging DJs. I was on the lineup for every party in Ilorin. Then I started getting more gigs across the country. I played at mainland and island block party in Lagos every month. I also worked with brands like Jameson and Martell. I loved travelling so it was nice until COVID 19 hit in 2020. 

Ah, that. How did the pandemic affect your work?

During the lockdown, I released a lot of mixtapes and got to connect with more people because everyone was at home. I also made a lot of reels. This helped with my visibility online. In May 2020, I got a job at a private lounge. You had to be a member to gain access to the lounge. I worked only at night plus there was a ride to drop me off. It was great. 

In March 2021, I met Remi Burgz, a DJ and radio personality in London, on Clubhouse and he selected me for BBC 1Xtra London鈥檚 Africa 360 project. It felt good to be recognised internationally. I continued making my videos online and working at the lounge until July 2021, when places started opening up fully and events returned. Since then, I have been freelancing. In December 2021, I got to play at DJ Spinall鈥檚 Livespot concert. It was great exposure for me and it made me feel really good to perform in front of a crowd as big as that. It means I鈥檓 getting to the peak of my career. 

Love that for you. What does being at the top of your career?

Being a successful artist and DJ who has access to whatever she wants, becoming a producer, working with the top artists in the industry across the world, putting out a lot of projects that people enjoy and selling out my own concerts. 

Essentially, becoming an all-around international entertainer? 

Yes, becoming a producer is like adding a master’s degree to my DJ and rapping skills. It鈥檚 the missing piece to my equation. After I get there, I鈥檒l consider myself to be at the peak of my career. 

Hope you get there someday. What鈥檚 it like being a full-time female DJ in Nigeria? 

Difficult. The Nigerian music industry is a jungle. I have sacrificed a lot of time and resources to get to the stage I am. That鈥檚 the only way to make it here. 

What’s your work process like? 

It depends on the kind of group I’m catering to at an event. I need to know if it鈥檚 going to be people of the same age group or a mix of different groups of people. That helps me decide the kind of music to play and I develop a playlist. 

However, 90% of the time I end up not using my playlist at an event because I pick up on the vibe of the people present and play the music that suits them. I don鈥檛 play blindly 鈥� I watch what they like and make sure to keep their vibe going. People鈥檚 enjoyment at parties is my fulfilment. 

Nice. How do you get through a creative block? 

I only get creative blocks when I鈥檓 about to make a mixtape. I wouldn鈥檛 call it a block per say, it’s just me trying to make the mixtape sound 100% perfect. 

That happens quite often, and I deal with it the same way 鈥� I close my laptop and take a break. After my break, I reshuffle the music and try again. If it’s still not working, I do the same process again till it sounds right to me. 

What does sounding right to you mean? 

I want people to enjoy themselves when they鈥檙e listening to me. Music is all about entertaining you, so if it’s not entertaining you, then what’s the essence of it? 

I get that. If you could change anything about the trajectory of your career path, would you?

The journey has been a fun experience, and I think life is about enjoying yourself. I鈥檝e gotten to travel a lot and meet a lot of people. If I could go back, the only thing I鈥檇 do differently is to concentrate more in school. I鈥檇 probably study something in tech. 

Cool. What would you say to a 15-year-old version of yourself? 

Nothing, to be honest. Because we all have different races to run. Anybody can advise you, but deep down you know what you want. I鈥檇 say have fun and enjoy your life 鈥� country hard. 

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Being a successful artist in 2022 looks like political art, a thousand retweets,聽 national recognition and sold out galleries. A successful artist in 2022 looks like Chigozie Obi. At 15, she convinced her dad to let her study art. By the time she turned 19, she had started making money from art. Chigozie Obi is a 24-year-old multidimensional visual artist. In today鈥檚 episode of The Elevator, Chigozie talks about her journey as a female artist whose work focuses on projecting women in ways that deviate from the norm.聽

When did you develop an interest in art?

In secondary school. I was 12 years old and art was one subject I was good at. I remember one time they taught us scale drawing and we had to draw a celebrity. I did that and even added shading. My teachers loved it.聽

I felt special, especially because I was struggling with other subjects. Art brought me some kind of comfort. Obviously, I picked art class when it was time to choose between art and science class. Since then, I have been on that path. 

What did want to do before that drawing class? 

I wanted to become a medical doctor before I discovered art. I was given a toy medical set when I was a baby, and I thought I wanted to become a doctor, alongside many other things. But after I discovered art, that dream died.聽

I wanted to become an artist but I thought I couldn鈥檛 study art at university. I thought my parents wouldn鈥檛 let me, so I picked mass communication instead. 

Just before I wrote JAMB, some of my family members saw my drawings and encouraged me to talk to my dad about it. I was 16 years old then. I thought about it and eventually spoke to my dad. He wasn鈥檛 happy about it but he agreed. That鈥檚 how I went to study creative arts at the University of Lagos.聽

What was studying art in Nigeria like?

It wasn鈥檛 so good and I was very unsure of my career path. I didn鈥檛 know what I wanted to be as an artist or what I wanted to focus on. Especially because at the University of Lagos, they didn鈥檛 exactly teach me about the practical aspects of the course. They gave us a lot of assignments but they didn鈥檛 teach us the business aspect of art. They also wanted our work to look a certain way. There wasn’t much room for experimentation, and it was quite frustrating for me.聽

This changed in my third year in university when I went for IT at The Universal Studios in Iganmu. I learned so much about painting and drawing there. 

After my IT, I wasn’t as concerned with school work as much I was concerned with creating my art. I started painting how I wanted and that brought me joy. I was still involved in schoolwork, but I knew that my work was more important to me and eventually it started to pay off. 

What happened?

The first time someone bought my painting was during my IT In 2016. It boosted my confidence. I wanted more of that. I invested my time into my work and created more art. More people bought my art and my parents started to come around. I became a full-time artist that year.

How did that go?

It鈥檚 been good. I鈥檓 more focused on creating art than anything else. I like to experiment with different mediums, so sometimes I create just for the sake of it. I鈥檓 into photography, oil and acrylic painting and lino printing.聽

Most of my work focuses on women and the issues that we face. I also use my personal experiences as inspiration. I have a series I have been working on that presents women in opposition to the things they’ve been told to be by society. I鈥檓 excited about it.聽

The other parts of being an artist outside the artistry isn’t as easy though. 

I鈥檓 listening.

The income flow isn鈥檛 steady like a 9-5 job. Every month is different. You might sell, you might not sell. Some people go months without selling, and the gag is you have to keep working. I always have to put out my ideas to show people my progress and also to get feedback. To do this, I need money for the materials. Honestly, it can be tough. 

It wasn鈥檛 until last year that my income from art became steady. This year, I won  The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts & Literature. The money and the recognition boosted my motivation, but my ultimate priority is getting better at my work. With art, I鈥檓 always learning. When I get to a certain stage with my work, I feel satisfied, but that doesn鈥檛 last long because I want to get to the next stage. 

What鈥檚 it like being a full-time artist in Nigeria? 

Being an artist in Nigeria means not having access to certain materials like gold leaf,  lino print ink and water based oil paint and importing is hell because of the dollar/naira rate. Things like this limit your practice. 

There鈥檚 also the part about being a female artist in Nigeria. Sometimes learning becomes a transaction 鈥� the teacher might want something in return for the knowledge. Even people who buy your work can make you uncomfortable. After buying it, they want your number and want to be able to call you whenever they want because they bought your work. It鈥檚 crazy sometimes, but I try not to focus on the bad parts. 

Sounds like a good plan. What鈥檚 your process like when you鈥檙e working on a new piece?

It’s quite simple, I’d say. I have someone who prepares my canvas for me. When he鈥檚 done, I start my work on the canvas. I work mostly at night or very early in the morning because everyone else is asleep, and it feels like it’s just me alone in the world. I feel like my brain can function better. I also work during the day, but I need my music and my space.聽

I am a fast painter so when I start painting something, it goes by quickly. This doesn鈥檛 happen all the time. This helps me because I usually have a lot of breaks in between projects.聽

I鈥檓 curious about how you get through an art block.

I have a lot of times where I don’t paint. I prepare what I want to work on and wait it out. During this time, I try not to stress about it and focus on other things I enjoy like hanging out with my friends or watching a movie.聽

When I have a deadline to meet, I can force myself to do the work. My trick is to press paint out on my palette and because I don鈥檛 want the paint to waste, I have to work. Other times, I just sit in my studio and wait for inspiration. It works most times.聽聽

What does being at the top of your game look like? 

It looks like being satisfied with my work. I want to get to a point where I can feel confident in my art.聽

Being at the top of my game also looks like a lot of money. I want a big studio I can work in and have access to all the materials I need. That鈥檇 make me very happy. 

I also want to be able to provide opportunities for other artists, especially women. I do this already at a collective that I run with other artists called . We are a donation-based collective that provides materials for artists that don鈥檛 have them. We started in 2021, and we are currently in the middle of the second cycle of donations. I hope the collective grows, and we鈥檙e able to do more workshops and residences. I鈥檇 be really happy with that. 

Is there something you’d have loved to change about your career trajectory? 

I can’t say, but it’s possible that I would change a few things. I know so many things now that I didn’t know then but the journey here has been fulfilling. 

What would you say to a 15-year-old version of yourself?

Be very confident in yourself. Continue with your work and always be true to yourself. It will get hard, but you have to keep pushing. Also, invest in Bitcoin.聽

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It鈥檚 2022 and more women are making their way to the top in the Nigerian music industry. They sing of love, friendships, break ups, and loss but not many of them sing about sex. Not in the way Ria does. When Ria was 18, she was certain she wanted to focus on music and by the time she turned 22, Aristokrat records had signed her. Ria Sean is a 23-year-old songwriter and singer. In today鈥檚 episode of The Elevator, Ria talks about her journey as a female artiste building a sexy brand in the public eye. 

When would you say you got into music?

I became the choirmaster of my church choir at nine years old. People around me loved my voice, but honestly, I preferred dancing. 

How does someone become a church choirmaster at 9?

People around me noticed I had a good voice and they encouraged me to lead. I didn鈥檛 know what they saw in me and I wasn鈥檛 interested in singing as much as I am now. 

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be an engineer for no reason. I just know that my friends either wanted to be doctors or lawyers, and I wanted to be an engineer. However, in JSS 3, I realised I preferred literature to physics and chemistry so I decided to go to art class in SS 1. 

It was also around this time my love for singing started rearing its head. I joined a music group in school that sang gospel music and performed at school assemblies or special occasions. At home, I remained head of the choir at church. It was after secondary school it finally occurred to me that I could be an artist. 

How did your parents take this?

My dad is late. And even though catering for three girls was difficult, my mom had never been the type of person to pressure me to do anything. We didn鈥檛 have a direct conversation about it. She noticed I was always going to the studio and never stopped me. She would drop me off sometimes and make sure I had everything I needed. My sisters were also supportive. 

When I was 17, my sister introduced me to her friend who was a producer.  She knew I had been writing songs and sent me to him. The producer also talked to his producer friends about me. I was charged 15k to record my first track ever, which my sister paid. After our session, he was impressed with my sound and wanted to work on more music with me. This was 2016. Shortly after, I put music on hold to focus on WAEC. 

When I finished secondary school in 2017, my plan was to go into music fully but things didn鈥檛 happen as smoothly as I imagined. 

How so?

Initially, there was some pushback from some of my uncles and aunties. They wanted me to go to university because it was necessary and I could do music after school. But I didn鈥檛 want to burden her with the task of paying my school fees, especially when it was something I didn鈥檛 want to do, so I decided not to go. 

How did everyone take this?

My mom was cool with it. She understood I was passionate about music. My uncles and aunties on the other hand weren鈥檛, but it wasn鈥檛 like they wanted to sponsor my education so they couldn鈥檛 talk about it for long. 

I鈥檒l go to university later in life but only after I make the money I need for the kind of education I want. I haven鈥檛 decided what I鈥檇 like to do yet, but I鈥檓 looking forward to it. 

I understand that. How has focusing on music been going?

The first thing I did was meet up with the producers I’d been working with at the studio I recorded. Then I started working on an EP in 2017. I released a few singles in the meantime and they did well. At the beginning of 2018, I worked with Leriq on a song called Feelings. After it was released, I got a call from PD, the CEO of Aristokrat records, who said he鈥檇 like to sign me, and that鈥檚 how I got signed. 

That sounds major. 

Yes! I was really happy about it, but I know I am not where I want to be yet. I still have a lot of work to do and I am doing it. The signing boosted my motivation, but I know something massive is coming: sold out shows, my name on billboards, endorsement deals, being able to afford everything I want. 

Totally here for it. After you got signed, what happened next?

I focused on releasing my EP – Fluid. It took me less than a month to put the project together. As soon as I heard a beat I knew what I wanted to do. So far, I鈥檓 looking forward to creating more music. I have a single coming out in March, and I am currently working on an EP. 

That鈥檚 great. In a country like Nigeria where women鈥檚 sensuality is usually hidden or suppressed, how do you push your music?

Ria: Being sensual is a deliberate thing for me. It’s easy for me to create sexy music. I start writing music and that鈥檚 what comes out. Initially, I tried to suppress it and make regular music, but it was difficult to write anything else. So I’ve decided that this is who I am 鈥� a sensual being, and I try to inspire other women that want to explore their femininity through my music.  

Choosing to express myself like this comes with its downs too. I get some ridiculous comments, but it doesn’t matter as much as the positive reviews do to me. I also see women who are tapping into this energy, and they鈥檙e more than the people against me. That’s what I pay attention to.

RELATED: 鈥淲hat Makes You Feel Sexy?鈥� 鈥� 10 Nigerian Women Speak

What鈥檚 your routine like when you鈥檙e working on a project? 

When I鈥檓 ready to create a new project, I get really focused on it. That鈥檚 the only thing I want to talk about or pay attention to. I don鈥檛 have a fixed schedule so I could go to the studio every day for a month or just twice a week. It depends on what I鈥檓 working on. I鈥檓 also very excited during this time because I get to make new music and be involved in something bigger than me. 

RELATED: 6 Female African Artistes Topping Charts Right Now

I鈥檓 curious about how you deal with writing blocks when you鈥檙e making music. What do you do? 

Ria: I take a break from recording and try to have fun. I could go out with people or watch TV or play games. Those activities help me relax and sometimes inspire me. It could take a day or two before I come back to myself again. 

What鈥檚 one thing that you would like to do that you haven’t done yet? 

I want to sell out a large stadium. I want to perform in front of a large crowd and have them sing it back to me. That’s something that I really can’t wait to have. I want the world to know Ria Sean. That’s the dream. 

What would you say to a 15-year-old version of yourself?

I鈥檇 say to her, Ria, don’t rush. Enjoy every bit of the process. Understand that you can鈥檛 be like everyone. Take your time to work on yourself. Be confident in who you are, and things will eventually work out just fine. 

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Check out the HER category and if you haven鈥檛. It鈥檚 pretty iconic. 

So it鈥檚 no surprise we鈥檙e excited about March, which is officially Women鈥檚 Month. At 91大神, every month is women鈥檚 month, but this month, we have something extra special planned for the ladies.

For this year鈥檚 Women鈥檚 History Month, we鈥檙e bringing back The Elevator, a short, crisp series that profiles women turning the needle, breaking biases, and showing the world (especially women) how to do the damn thing. Expect inspiring stories of African women working in different fields talking about how they rose to the top. And in line with the theme for this year鈥檚 International Women’s Day (#BreakTheBias), we鈥檙e redefining what the top looks like. 

Last year, we spoke to Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-founder of PiggyVest; Arit Okpo, host of CNN International’s African Voices Changemakers; Blessing Abeng, Co-founder of Ingressive for Good amongst other women about their work but also their lives. This year, we鈥檙e continuing the theme of exploring the journeys of female writers, artists, activists who push the boundaries in their work.聽

The drop is every Tuesday, starting from 8th March 2022 at 12 p.m., which is also International Women鈥檚 Day. 

But that鈥檚 not all. On the 4th March 2022, the first letter from our To Her series will be dropped. What鈥檚 that you ask? It鈥檚 a miniseries celebrating the love women have for other women. Dead guys say women are their own enemies. We鈥檒l be putting that to review by showing the various ways women come through for each other. 

In covering women鈥檚 stories, you learn the following truths: women鈥檚 lives are exposed to a lot of trauma, and women鈥檚 identities tend to be tied to other social identities. We鈥檙e putting out this series to show other ways women can be celebrated: Through women looking out for themselves, finding love, affection, companionship in other women, but most importantly, themselves. Expect softness, cuteness, and expression.

To ensure you don鈥檛 miss the drop, .

There鈥檚 one more thing in the works. If you follow the , you’ve probably gotten a scoop of it already. This thing shall be revealed to the world in due time. Till then, sit back, grab a bottomless glass of your favourite beverage, and let us entertain you.

91大神 women

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Peace wanted to become a medical doctor but ended up studying biochemistry, however, she has never had to use her degree to get a job. Peace Itimi is a 25-year-old digital and growth marketer. In today鈥檚 episode of The Elevator, she talks about her journey from becoming the first Google Student Ambassador at her school to becoming a digital and growth marketer that works with multinational companies. 

What did you want to be as a child?

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a medical doctor. My brother was studying to be an engineer. It made sense for me to study medicine so my mom would be 鈥渕ama engineer鈥� and 鈥渕ama doctor鈥�.  

How did that change?

I applied to study medicine at but I got medical biochemistry. So my mom was like, 鈥淵eah, go do it. You would transfer to medicine in 400 level.鈥� The worst-case scenario was that I would graduate at 19 and still be young enough to start medical school from scratch.  

I studied biochemistry for one year and in that year, all the science students took their courses together. In the first semester of year 2, I got the form to transfer to medicine, but there was no space in medical school for new students. I was depressed about it because I already saw myself as a medical doctor. That鈥檚 how I started writing. I was on Twitter one day and I saw someone say they had a blog. I was curious, so I visited her blog. I scrolled to the end and saw that it was a WordPress blog. It also said, 鈥渃lick this link to create your blog鈥�. I did and started posting my writeups about my life on my blog. 

About a year later, I went to an event in Benin City. A friend walked up to me and said, 鈥淥h my God, I’ve been reading your blog.鈥� I was pleasantly surprised by that. He thought I was cool and techie. Then he said, 鈥淭here’s this thing called (GSA) programme 鈥� I think you would like it. 鈥� I didn鈥檛 think I was a techie, but he connected me to the ambassador in Uniben, Alex, who said he would let me know when the application opened the following year. 

The next year, I applied and they picked me. I became the first Google Student Ambassador in DELSU. This was in 2014. Shortly after, we went for a summit where Google representatives spoke to us about programming and digital marketing, and I fell in love with digital marketing. We went back to school, did some lessons and started training people. When I graduated, I said to my mother, 鈥淭his your medicine plan no go work.鈥�

What happened after? 

As a GSA, I taught people digital marketing. Someone told my pastor that she had a small business and needed someone to run ads for her. My pastor reached out to me. 

I charged her 鈧�5k. The gig ended as a disaster because the results I gave her were likes and impressions, but she wanted sales, not metrics. In hindsight, I could have done better at converting those impressions to sales. 

My first full-time job was at a US company called GTech designs. A friend of mine worked for them as the designer developer and needed someone to handle marketing. I remember wondering if I was going to get the job because of my medical biochemistry certificate. I imagined she would ask for my CV and be displeased with my degree. But when we had the interview, she didn’t ask me anything about school. I don’t think she cared about whether I went to university or what I studied. She just asked me about marketing and writing, and a sample blog post. I got the job and it paid 鈧�25k monthly. 

I worked there for a while before getting another job at WebCoupers. I moved to Lagos to work at WebCoupers for my NYSC. There, I developed strategy and executed campaigns. I handled client meetings, SEO & social media. It was a lot of work. While I was still working there, my friend, Joyce and I created our agency called Rene digital hub. We helped businesses with digital marketing and content strategy. It helped me develop entrepreneurship skills. We ran it from 2016 to 2018 and eventually decided to dissolve it because we didn鈥檛 give the business the attention it needed due to our full-time jobs. 

What happened next? 

I went deeper into digital marketing. I worked with and with , as Head of Marketing. Eventually, I decided I wanted to do something different from digital marketing. I chose growth marketing because it was similar but more technical and I realised that a lot of international companies were looking for growth marketers to scale their regional branches. I researched the role and took some courses. I also knew I wanted a 100% remote job and a job that paid in foreign currency 鈥� mostly because I want to travel more. 

I had a friend I used to visit at in ParkView Estate Ikoyi. , a global venture capital fund, was also in that estate. I was interested in what they did, so I went to their website. I remember reading about their work that evening and thinking, 鈥淭his is exactly where I want to be.鈥� I went to their website and found the role for growth marketing lead in Africa was open. It took me four months to get the job 鈥� from the application, the technical interview, a case study, assignments, another interview to the offer. I resumed in February 2020. 

What was working at SeedStars like?

Working at Seedstars has been the best time of my career. We did impact programmes for people and the culture of the company aligned so much with my vision for myself. The challenges pushed me to be better at my job. I met new people and worked on projects across the continent. I had colleagues in different countries. Now, if I ever wanted to travel to Cairo or Colombia or anywhere, there鈥檚 most likely someone there that I could reach out to. It was an amazing experience, and I would always remember it. 

Right now, I enjoy making videos about brand marketing. I have been putting out videos since 2018, and I鈥檝e seen the impact. I don鈥檛 have up to 10k subscribers, but I鈥檓 grateful for the kind of jobs I鈥檝e gotten from it and the kind of people I鈥檝e met. It鈥檚 something I want to do for a long time. 

What lessons have you learned along the way? 

My favourite lesson of all time is to do it afraid and don鈥檛 let the fear of looking stupid stop you. I have gotten so many rejections in my life. They hurt, but I鈥檝e learned to move past them to the next thing that might be a yes. Sometimes, I find that the things I least expect to work out end up working out fine. 

I always ask for help. I am always willing to reach out to someone to talk me through a particular issue. I also take my time to research the problem and possible solutions. If it鈥檚 something I need to outsource, I do that as soon as I can. As long as it鈥檚 something I want to do, I will find a way. 

Who are some of the women you admire? 

. There was a point in my life when I had a bit of identity crisis, especially because of how I dress. Looking at Adaora made me know that there is nothing wrong with how I dress. I did a lot of training in 2018 where I wore feminine clothes that made me uncomfortable. But then I saw pictures of Adaora on social media rocking suits to board meetings. I thought, if Adaora can do it, then Peace Itimi can.聽聽聽

What鈥檚 next for you? 

I think I am leaning towards entrepreneurship for now. I will always be interested in solving problems and easing processes for people.

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Blessing grew up dreaming of being a medical doctor because she wanted to save lives but while studying for her first degree as a Biochemist, she discovered that Medicine wasn鈥檛 the only path to that dream. Blessing Abeng is a 26-year-old Communications and branding expert who works centres community building. In today鈥檚 episode of The Elevator, Blessing talks about her journey as a communication strategist with a goal to impact the lives of those around her.

What did you want to be as a child?

A medical doctor.

How did that change?

As a child, I was really enamoured by the idea of being a medical doctor. I liked the idea of being able to treat people. My parents got me lab coats when I was a kid. I read Ben Carson’s book like my life depended on it. I didn鈥檛 want it to be a basic medical doctor 鈥� I wanted to be a neurosurgeon because there weren鈥檛 many neurosurgeons in Nigeria at the time. It was like a superpower to me. Shonda Rhimes鈥� Grey Anatomy also played a part. Christina Yang was my favorite character 鈥� I loved how passionate she was.

In secondary school, I was in art club. I featured in plays. I was always part of the team that represented our school in writing competitions. I was also in science club. I also joined the school team for Mathematical competitions. When it was time for us to pick between science and art class, my choice was science but my teacher was not having it. Eventually we had a conversation with the principal, who agreed that I could do both science and art classes.

When it was time for me to go to university, my dad thought I was too tiny to go to the US alone so he suggested I go to Covenant University first to study biochemistry.He said when I was done, I would now go for my medical career. In my head, I was like Medicine is a long path. It didn鈥檛 make sense that I would finish biochemistry and go for another four years plus of schooling. One day, I was in one of my Biochemistry classes and I just knew that this wasn鈥檛 for me. The teachers didn鈥檛 seem interesting to me. It felt like there was nothing more to it and being a doctor in Nigeria can be very limiting. So I started asking myself of other ways to save lives.

One of my friends who knew I was a writer asked me to try writing business plans and I did. Most of the business plans I was seeing at the time were boring and looked similar so I used to add my own creative flair to it. I had such cool ideas for marketing and positioning. There was this club in Covenant University where we learned business writing. The facilitator would give us cool tasks like pitching products to attract investors. That鈥檚 how I wrote my first business proposal and it became a thing I did.

One day, another of my friends reached out to me. She said, 鈥淭his thing you do, people make money from it. How about you try going to a branding school called ?鈥� I looked it up and I liked what I saw. I planned that it would be the first thing I did once I finished school.

During my NYSC, I was working hard to get the money required for the school fees. I asked my dad but he said I wasn鈥檛 going to be a doctor so why would he pay for that? I started looking for jobs in Lagos so that I would be able to go to the school there. I knew my dad would not let me move from Abuja to Lagos except it was for educational purposes so I knew I had to get a job. When I did, I was able to negotiate with my boss that he would pay a percentage of my house rent. That鈥檚 how my father let me move.

What was your first job?

I was looking for social media related jobs. At the time, social media was just getting popular in Nigeria. This was around the time where people still used to greet each other good morning on Twitter and tweet fights were sweet. I was good at mine so I thought managing a brand鈥檚 social media couldn鈥檛 be that hard.

I found a couple of openings and I applied. One day, a guy called me that they had received my CV and wanted me to come for an interview. I remember taking a bus from Imo state, where I was serving because I couldn鈥檛 tell my father where I was going and I couldn鈥檛 afford a plane ticket because I was still saving for branding school.

When I got to Lagos for my interview, me and the guy were just talking like we have been friends for a while. Personally, I have never had a bad interview. I always end just gisting with whoever is interviewing me because the worst that can happen is that they will tell me no and I would move on. Funny enough, I have never gotten a 鈥榥o鈥�.

At the interview, the guy told me about his company which was giving an afropolitan angle to things happening around the world. He was very passionate about changing the African narrative. He was doing that through films but I knew they could do more. He was so impressed by my ideas. He said, 鈥淵our vision for my company is bigger than what I even have in mind.鈥� He promised that if I did well within the next six months, he would promote me to assistant manager. It felt good.

I took the course at branding school. I did really well at it that many agencies wanted to hire me afterwards. I kept getting better at my job and I realised saving lives doesn鈥檛 just mean holding somebody’s heart or brain in your hands. Business is a source of people’s livelihood. If you can help people鈥檚 businesses scale, you are saving lives because you are helping people make a living and improving the quality of their lives. Branding school changed my mindset and afterwards, I pursued branding and communications like my life depended on it.

When I joined the team, I was the only woman and I thought my colleagues were mad at me for coming from nowhere but we did amazing things together. That鈥檚 how I got my first business client.

Tell me about it

So at my job, I was the presenter, assistant manager and the business development person. I was to interview Lemi Ghariokwu, who was the album art designer for Fela for our program. Before the program, I researched him to know more about him but I found that he didn鈥檛 even have a website. All the conversations around him on the internet were by journalists. I found him really interesting for someone as old as he is. The day we met, I asked him, 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you have a website?鈥� It led to a long conversation about how he had been scammed in the past and I convinced him to try again. My partner, who I am now married to bought him a domain name and web hosting. We didn鈥檛 ask for anything. I became his handbag. He took me everywhere and introduced me to a lot of people. Later when I was focusing on my business, all those people became my clients.

That’s interesting. What was your first project?

It wasn鈥檛 my first per se considering that I had done a lot of things at school but it was the first time my company did a website for a client.

Nice! Tell me about your company

It was a branding and communications company. I wanted to register it as a publishing house but my dad advised against it. He is a businessman so he liked to give me advice on how best to navigate issues. He advised me to register the company as a communication company that could do digital training as well as publish. Then, the only thing I wanted to do was publish and I did. I wrote my first book and published it as an experiment. I like to experiment with things I don鈥檛 fully understand 鈥� that鈥檚 how I learn.

I knew that I had a lot to learn as a business owner. I wanted to grow, which is why I started looking for jobs. I even told my first boss that I would be using his company to practice everything I learned from school and he was super excited about that. The company eventually went defunct after I left. They couldn’t find someone who could replace me and so the company lost that direction. I feel bad because I think I should have groomed someone to take over for me.

I moved on to work at an agency and I learned so much from that experience. That was the period a lot of people wanted to work with me but I didn鈥檛 want to commit to just anything in the name of side hustle so I decided to test my company. My company offered the same services that the agency I worked at offered 鈥� branding and communications for businesses but instead of going for big clients like the agency did, my company went for smaller brands.

My friend who was a top staff member at a big company asked me to take over the communication manager role at the new company he was setting up and I did. He also set up a microfinance bank and I handled communications there as well. For my company, I ensured that I didn鈥檛 hire full time staff so it was a flexible schedule for everyone. It was a great experience 鈥� I put all the things I had learned over time into my work. But after a while, I got bored and started toying with the idea of becoming a housewife so I could chill and travel.

LOL. What happened next?

In 2019, I quit every single thing and focused on my business. In under one year, I built the business of my dreams. We had a rule where we would never take more than a certain number of clients so we can give the best possible services to the brands under our clientele. It was really successful. People reached out to me to join their teams but I really didn鈥檛 want anything else at the time.

But then towards the end of 2019, Disha reached out to me and I liked what they had planned so I joined their team. I became the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Disha. Before I joined Disha鈥檚 team, I made sure I had set my business up in a way that it could run without me. I automated a lot of processes and changed the services we offered. Instead of a hands on service, we offered short term services that didn鈥檛 require a lot of our attention. For example, instead of taking on content creation for a brand, we would create content strategy plans that they could employ someone else to execute.

A few months later, my friend Maya, who had been chasing me for two years to work ]with her, told me about a social project she was working on. I really loved the idea and I had never worked in nonprofits before. I thought it would be interesting so I joined the team at as Director of Communications, which is where I work currently. Unfortunately, I had to resign from Disha.

Your journey has been exciting so far. Do you have a favorite project?

One of my first loves was Heritage Bank. It was one place where I broke rules and did things brands weren鈥檛 doing at the time on social media. This was around the time Jon Snow just woke up in . I had a fun idea to use Game of Thrones to teach people about their finances. We did that for a while and it trended.

I also really loved Disha. When I joined the team it was easy to build the business because I loved the business, I loved the idea and I loved the people in the team. In the short time I was there, I was able to help the business grow from 1000 users to over 20,000 users and increase revenue by 5,900%. It was such a lovely company that even the users knew that it was a gift.

That鈥檚 amazing. How do you deal with stumbling blocks along the way?

I am never afraid to ask for help. I also borrow from other industries. When I have a problem, instead of researching that problem, I could read other things like architecture or engineering. I realised that the most innovative solutions came from marrying two entirely different things together.

What have you learned so far?

My favourite hack to set structures that ease your process. For example, whenever I have a bad experience with something, I would create a structure to ensure it doesn鈥檛 happen again. I also do this when I have a good experience 鈥� i replicate it and make it even better. That way, I am not brainstorming every time I have to do something similar. I do that by documenting the process every step of the way.

Are there any women that you admire?

I like Ellen DeGeneres. I think she’s a marketing genius. I know she has a team but I know she also has to sign off on a lot of things and I think her campaigns are always super interesting.I also love Shonda Rhimes and Chimamanda. They share something in common, which is independent thinking. They can think for themselves irrespective of whatever backlash they’re going to get. I like women who are fearless and confident. That鈥檚 something they all have one thing in common.

With everything you鈥檝e done, what鈥檚 something you鈥檝e learnt along the way?

One of my biggest lessons has been about consistency. One day during the lockdown, after brushing my teeth, I had a light bulb moment. I realized that when we forget to brush our teeth one day, we don鈥檛 associate shame with it and stay away from brushing our teeth forever. Instead, the next day, we brush harder and that is consistency.

What’s next for you?

One of the key things I’m focused on is finding ways to directly impact members of my community beyond what I have done now. I’m passionate about ensuring every single person I meet is better than when I met them. I often think of how I can help the people around me and right now, I鈥檓 thinking of pivoting my communications careers towards helping individuals with personal branding. I can鈥檛 wait to see what I come up with.

Pearl茅 Nwaezeigwe always knew she wanted to be a lawyer, but she did not know that law would lead her to tech. Now at 26-years-old, Pearle works at TikTok, where she creates policies that protect TikTok鈥檚 African users.  

What did you want to be when you were younger?

A teacher. I was obsessed with teaching, so I would steal chalk from my class and take it home to teach imaginary students. Down the road, I still plan to be a professor.

I also wanted to be a lawyer and was inspired by my dad, who’s a lawyer. He would stay up all night reading big books, and I wanted to do that, to advocate for people and be a voice to the voiceless. I wanted to be the attorney general for the Federation of Nigeria. I wanted to do something very ambitious, and I thought studying law was the way forward. 

So, you studied law in university?

Yeah, I did and it was intense but at the same time, I knew I was meant to do it. I am grateful I went to University of Lagos because that鈥檚 where I joined the . I would go for competitions, mock court cases, and I got to travel to the US for conferences. This exposed me to things a lot of my classmates were not exposed to, and I realised that my life was beyond Nigeria. Unilag鈥檚 hustle spirit helped make me who I am today. 

What was your first job?

I was an intern at . I was interested in intellectual property law, so my aunt spoke to the general manager of Chocolate City at the time, and I got an internship. It was an interesting experience. Sometimes you would come to work and MI will be beside you writing songs. I was there for a couple of months.

Nice. What did you do there?

Well, it was a lot of reading contracts and trying to be sure that artists didn鈥檛 get screwed by companies. Also, creating contracts that kept artists comfortable and engaged. I worked with a lawyer who walked me through the process. 

My experience at Chocolate City helped me see the deficiencies in the music industry and how much of a long way we need to go to protect artists rights. It was really exciting going back and forth and feeling like I was a part of something. Initially I was not supposed to get paid, but they were really impressed with my work ethic, and they paid me. I also got VIP tickets and backstage passes. 

What happened next?

Law school. Law school is a place you can’t survive without resilience. The program, the grading, the back to back exams, was a lot. I stayed up long nights studying for the bar exam and made really good friends, but I won鈥檛 wish law school on my worst enemy. You have to be sure you want to study law because Nigerian law school is not for the weak. 

After law school, I worked at a law firm and I didn鈥檛 really like it.  Usually, a lawyer is useful at any firm they find themselves in, but the law firm I worked in was very litigation centric. I was at the court all the time filing documents that did not make sense. After I left the law firm, I went to get my masters in International Law and International Human Rights in UC Berkeley. I was 24. 

What was UC Berkeley like?

Well, I wouldn鈥檛 say it was an Ivy League university, but our major competition was Stanford. It was nice being in that space and having classmates that have worked in major companies. The school was in Silicon Valley so we were surrounded by Facebook, Google and so many tech companies. My plan when I got there was to work in the UN, but I found myself doing research on the impact of human rights on technology. 

Do you think Silicon Valley had anything to do with that change?

Definitely. UC Berkeley is known for human rights, civil liberties and technology. For my project, we collaborated with Microsoft and Google. They wanted to know the impact their products were having on human rights, specifically on children鈥檚 rights. I was able to understand that there was an intersection of human rights and technology. After my degree, I got my current job and moved all the way to Ireland. 

What job, and why Ireland?

Well, I work for TikTok where I create policies on behalf of the company to ensure that the rights of users are protected. My focus is to create policies that protect African users on the African continent.

On why Ireland, Dublin in Ireland is like the Silicon Valley of Europe. TikTok has its own office here and most of the African activities in these tech companies usually happens in Dublin. 

How Do You Protect African Users at TikTok?

We create policies on behalf of the company to ensure that while people can say whatever they want online, they cannot abuse that power and spread homophobic, sexist or racist content and fake news. So, we create policies that protect people鈥檚 freedom of expression and safety. Those are the kind of hard things we have to do on the policy team鈥� we ask, how do we create policies that protect Africa?

Were there any major stumbling blocks you faced along the way? 

One of my challenges was getting this job. A whole year after I finished from UC Berkeley, I was searching for a job. I went for more than thirty interviews with all the big companies like Facebook and Twitter. The rejections really affected my self-esteem. People who knew me kept asking why I did not go into legal counsel or work at a law firm and do what everyone else was doing, but I just knew that tech policy was what I wanted to do. I realised that people these tech companies hire are those that have a lot of experience and then there was me who was fresh out of graduate school. So, I went to a lot of conferences and studied my ass off because I had to prove myself. One thing that helped was that I was also very good at cold emailing. There was nobody I would reach out to that would not respond 鈥�  I even got to speak to the vice president of Twitter. 

Wow. How did that even happen?

Well, I ran into her on an elevator during a conference, so I decided to tweet at her. I also mentioned in my tweet that they had a job opening, and I really wanted to join the team. She sends me a job link and I told her I had already applied for the job and I even tagged the job recruiter saying I was waiting for his reply. The next day, I got a call from the recruiter. He said, 鈥渢he vice president of Twitter sent me a dm and told me to have an interview with you.鈥� Unfortunately, it was difficult to get a work permit in the US because my role wasn鈥檛 that popular and the country didn鈥檛 rate me. I cried. 

How were you able to move from that?

I had come too far to quit on myself. There were very few black women in these roles and I did not want them to remove one less black woman, so I kept going. I wanted to succeed in that one thing people thought I was not going to be able to do. 

I also had other challenges, like my health. They found lumps in my breasts and I was dealing with severe migraines. Coupled with the fact that I was so far from family, it was very hard.

What are some lessons you learned in this journey?

Well, I learnt that every dream is valid. Society wants you to be one thing, but you can be so many. You are allowed to shift and be whatever you want to be. Another thing is that you have to believe in yourself. It is easier said than done, and it is hard to not compare yourself with others, but I had to snap out of it. Also, I learnt to be extra. I do not want to be in a crowd and blend in. I always want to stand out. Lastly, you need to learn balance. You need to balance friends and school and work and life in general.

Are there any women you look up to?

Beyonc茅. Her work ethic is amazing and she keeps beating her own standard. She reinvents herself every time and she is black excellence personified. Before my interviews, I would play a Beyonc茅 song and take in some of that energy. She goes 100 and inspires me to be extra. Another person is my mum. My mum taught me humility and that had helped me get some opportunities I know I would not have gotten. She is like my best friend. My headmistress was also important to my development. She taught me almost everything I know when it comes to creativity and allowed us to be expressive. She made me feel like I could do anything if I put my mind to it. She passed away when I was 10 from cancer, and it was very hard for me. 

What is something you are really proud of yourself for doing?

When I was in Unilag, I founded the first Model UN conference in Lagos. Trying to raise funds and asking people to register was very rocky. I also had to train my friends on how to be directors and secretary generals etc., but it all paid off. The dean was super impressed and gave us three days off from classes; he also gave us free WiFi. Now the conference is six years running. The second thing is that I wrote a book about my life last year. I am really proud of myself for doing that. I plan to be more intentional about promoting the book this year.

How do you rest with all of these things going on?

I rest by sleeping. I actually do not joke with my sleep and I keep my weekends open for me. Sometimes I play loud music and just dance in my living room. 

Nice! What鈥檚 next for you?  

I have always had structure in my life, but for the first time, I can say I do not really know what is next. What I do know is that I am destined for greatness. 

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