I wanted to have the power to make more decisions and do things for myself. With modeling, it felt like everyone else called the shots all the time, people or brands would only reach out when they needed you and that meant making money was largely dependent on people not my abilities so, I started to get very uncomfortable with that dynamic and think of ways I could build wealth for myself. Beyond the money, I also just wanted a deeper knowledge of purpose and who I was called to be ultimately, modeling was a part and probably the beginning of it but definitely not the whole nor the end.

Let me add, what helped me get this role helped is my transferable skills. I know it’s hard to believe, but recruiters want to see the skills you’ve used in a different capacity and how they could be applied to whatever role you want in their company. Communication, teamwork, discipline, leadership, and the like are necessary. They sound abstract, but when you get in, you’ll realize they are super important to your success in the company.

Working in tech has been exciting and challenging at the same time. Exciting because asides from creating valuable solutions, I've been privileged to work with bright minds while ensuring they have the right environment to remain productive. It is challenging because the tech world is dynamic and demanding amidst many glass ceilings that still need to shatter.

The year before, I was the best female graduating student, so I had a bit of a reputation. I thought people knew me as a quick-witted person with potential, and being pregnant would thwart that. Also, a month before, I had written a series of newsletters about resting in God. I was so ashamed and thought people would see me as a fraud. It was not only about being a child of two pastors; there were also some consequences for me as an individual.

Coming into full acceptance that the questions I’ve always had about my rights came under the feminist ideology was a struggle. Would it affect how people saw me and who wanted to discuss it with me? Would I find a man? (the ultimate question that many people ask feminists as if their fight for equality is to pally to men’s ego).

Amongst other amazing achievements, my main achievement would be becoming an author this early. It's something I never imagined I would do at this age. Writing my book, A Techie’s Guide in to Big Tech Companies, was a fascinating journey. I learned a lot along the way, and I thank God for the wisdom and capacity to carry on the project. It is the first of many.

I knew I wanted to do something environmental, but I didn't know what, how, or where. I just knew I was interested. That is why it was easier for me to enter the space because I knew exactly what I wanted to be. The second factor is your past experiences and the environment in which you find yourself. I believe that the environment influences about half of whom a person becomes. So, for me, that's why we need an enabling environment, which I'm fighting for.

I have a small body that doesn’t fit to the standards we see in the media, and I had to learn to accept and cherish it. As a woman, it’s not safe to think your body is not worth the love it deserves because it doesn’t fit the social construct of “figure-8” body shapes. No doubt, society has a huge influence on the female body image.

While our work is largely confidential given its sensitivity, I think moments I’ll never forget are the ones involving hearing the stories of survivors, who come from different walks of life and ages. We’ve had survivors such as a three-month-old baby, an eighty-year-old grandmother, and even young boys, and it reinforces the fact that it is never a matter of “what was the survivor wearing?”, “what was she doing there?”, “why couldn’t she have been more careful?”, abusers will always find an opportunity to abuse.

I would be sharing a note to my twenty-year-old self, who, five years ago, was fresh out of school, trying to navigate the ups and downs of life and fulfil her dreams. Here’s a note from 25-year-old Maryam praising her younger self for the little and mighty strides she is taking and cheering her on to keep living and loving. Why? Because the best days are yet to come.

Seeing how willing people were to help others in genuine need motivated me to find people who needed help with their medical bills (especially people without access to social media) and help them out using funds donated by kind individuals. Last year, we raised well over a million Naira and were able to help about 40 people. We work closely with social services and sometimes, partner with government hospitals to drive that. We also donate to general causes from time to time.

I can speak 21 languages fluently — German, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Twi, Zulu, Russian, Chinese, Indonesian, Dutch, French, Latin, Hangul, Italian, English, Yoruba, Hausa, Egun, Egede and Igbo. I am still learning many others where I have only covered the basics — greetings, simple phrases, etc.

For years, I had an invisible veil covering my face. I was insecure. I hated how the black spots looked like road maps leading to nowhere. I was so obsessed that the first thing I did every morning when I woke up

I have always loved the arts, and by the time I was 12, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I was passionate about dancing and very interested in film production. I also tried to write my music. Like many of the girls we have at the academy now, I lived in extreme poverty. My parents worked tirelessly to support my academic and artistic dreams, but their efforts often fell short. There seemed to be an endless cycle of more pressing needs, and that somewhat affected my dreams. I gradually gave up mainly because when you’re working towards something, and it’s not happening, you slowly find other things to do.

With the way the country is right now and the ever-increasing prices of materials since they are all imported, inflation has done a number on the business; even the artisans charge more from time to time. Factoring in all this makes it somewhat tough to structure the prices. It can be such a mess at times because it’s difficult to explain to customers, and restocking is quite a hassle. The line between breaking even and making a loss is now thin.

It took me years. I didn’t make money from being a poet for years. The only significant money I made was from ghostwriting a poetry anthology. That felt good because I had never been paid for writing poetry before that time. Also, I made money by writing articles for people. This came easy because I own a literary blog so I was familiar with writing articles.

When I got there, maybe because I looked young or I am young, he was already chatty with me. He said things such as “do you want me to tell your mum that you have a boyfriend?”, “oh, you don’t want her to know you’ve been doing “things” abi?” or hinting that I was pregnant and it wasn’t appendicitis, all while doing the scan.

Entrepreneurship in Nigeria is not for the weak, with uncertainty and turbulence from time to time. I don’t think business owners have smooth sailing anywhere in the world, but it seems to be so much tasking here. If you’re not careful, the economic situation can push you over the edge, and you’ll just give it all up. At some point, I contemplated closing the business at least once a week. Those were dark times indeed, but we move.