JENNIFER CHIOMA AMADI

As a Gas Engineering graduate, Jennifer decided to follow her passion for writing and storytelling. Through her blog, jenomanook.com, she landed her first job as a content creator at a branding firm. Now she is a social media manager, currently working as a business development officer at an indigenous Oil and Gas serving company. 

“Mentors Are Bridges that Connect Us from Our Current Stage to Where We Aspire to Be”

Q: Tell us a few things about your country, and also your life's story!

My country, Nigeria, situated in western Africa, is a place filled with industrious and indefatigable individuals who strive daily to make the best out of their lives. This tenacity flows from one generation to another.

Being a first child, and female, in a Nigerian family, I had to acclimatize myself early to the reality of the responsibilities that accompany that position. Growing up, I was more saddled with the huge expectations from the family to be perfect than learning from failure. There was no room for failure for an ‘Ada’-first female child in the family.

Over the years, I have unlearned the fearful perception of perfection, then learned to look beyond the weight that comes with positional leadership and channeled my energy towards becoming a servant leader.

While this knowledge serves as a constant reminder that I do not just live for myself but a generation, I am also offered the option of breaking out of the norm.

Q: How did you experience the global pandemic crisis, did it change your life or/and your views about the world? How?

In the first few months of the global pandemic, life appeared to have paused and normalcy seemed farfetched. However, during the chaos, the following lessons became clear to me.

i. Home is where you can run to for an unexplainable kind of protection and also to retain sanity,

ii. Family might just be the only set of persons who will stand by you in the toughest moments,

iii. The church (or religious center) is a place where our lives can be filled with rays of light and hope,

iv. Setbacks could give way for better opportunities.

Having survived the pandemic, the statement, “Tough times don’t last but tough people do”, became more relatable than ever before.

Q: What are some of the key challenges in your society currently? 

Currently, the most predominant challenge in my country is bad leadership/governance. I believe if we have more dedicated and visionary leaders who are proactive and driven by excellence, we would have better results as a nation.

Q: Share with us some of the hurdles that you had to overcome in your life so far? How did you handle them?

Finding my voice and learning to speak up against dissatisfying situations, especially in fields dominated by men has been a major hurdle I had to consciously overcome. I believe we all must reorient ourselves about the importance of human lives and understand that everyone deserves to be heard and respected regardless of their gender, race, status, or nationality.

Q: If you were to ask one thing from our current leaders, what would it be?

My question will basically be how can one build a solid brand or legacy?

Q: Why is the role of a mentor important for you?

I see mentors as bridges that connect us from our current stage to where we aspire to be. To me, they serve as guides who are capable to sieving our decisions in order to prevent unnecessary mistakes.

Q: Do you have a lesson that life has taught you and you would like to share?  

Looking back at my life, I would say one of the greatest things that has happened to me is self-discovery- knowing who I am and understanding the purpose I was created for. This has gone a long way to shed light on the path of my life’s journey and eliminate timidity and fear of the unknown.

Another thing that has shaped my life is the understanding of the power of words; how they have the ability to build or break one’s spirit. For this reason, I am forever an advocate of amplifying the right words through the stories I write and the words I speak with an aim to build the lives of others and our world eventually.

Q: Name a project, a foundation or a person in your country that you think is doing great work in helping improve other people's lives!

Debola Deji-Kurunmi (DDK) is a transformational catalyst and I have been extremely blessed by her works. She runs periodical coaching classes for females and produces self-improvement resources.

Q: What are some of the challenges that women in your country face and what efforts are made towards gender equality?

For as long as I have known, domestic violence against women has been a huge challenge in my country. While agencies and policies have been put in place to curb this menace, it is one that keeps resurfacing occasionally.

Q: Share with us a phrase, a poem or a story that means something to you.

Over the years the simple phrase, "IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER" has shaped my perspective about life; helping me maintain a positive outlook regardless of the circumstances around me per time. I am a strong believer that things get better with time.

Q: Share with us a project that you would like to make happen for your country or a cause that you are passionate about.

I am passionate about improving the educational system in Nigeria. I am convinced that with a better curriculum, modern technology and passionate and well-trained teachers, the educational sector in my country will improve immensely. While I am yet to take this on a larger scale, I am a volunteer for an NGO called NIFES Career Mentoring Program (CMP) which is focused on connecting undergraduates to experienced mentors who can expose their minds to the realities and demands of the world outside the walls of the university. This way they are armed with experiential knowledge and skill and are better prepared for life after school.

Q: Anything else that you may wish to add?

I am grateful for initiatives like Global Thinkers Forum and for the opportunity to be assigned an amazing mentor like Ms Alisa Grafton.