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#RubyGirls| “Be focused, anything you set your mind to do, you can do it”- Jessica Nwagbara

Nwagbara Jessica, the last child in a family of four is a graduate of English and literary studies/History and international relations, from University of Nigeria.

Jessica loves looking good because it is a good business. She has a flair for fashion and makeup and intends to have a fashion outfit and makeup line someday.

Let’s meet you. Who is Jessica?

My name is Nwagbara Jessica, a graduate of English and literary studies/History and international relations, from University of Nigeria.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy hanging out with few friends, traveling, playing games and reading, sleeping inclusive.

 Who and what inspires you?

As a result of my desire to delve into the fashion industry, I love the likes of Toyin Lawani, her fashion sense is topnotch and most of her designs are great. Then, Funke Akindele Bello is one person I respect so much, she is hard working and creating jobs for young actors.

What is your biggest fear?

Being poor.

You’re a graduate from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Was your course what you applied for initially? How was your undergraduate days and how has it shaped who you are presently?

Growing up, I never wanted to go to school. Wanted to go to a fashion school but my dad declined. I applied for Law, cutoff mark for 2015 was super high, I ended up shopping to combined Arts then I got it. Was given Theater and Film Studies\English, as a result of being a shy girl while growing up, I opted for English/History.
It wasn’t easy combining as a result of different courses clashing, then lecturers who felt students who combined were dummies because most people who combined didn’t apply for the course as their first choice.
It made me strong because right now I can multi task.

 

One accessory you can’t leave home without.

My glasses.

Your best quote

Happiness is free.

 

You have a flair for fashion, according to you, “looking good is good business”. Any pursuit of it at the moment or plans to soonest?

During service, I got to take part time courses in it. Reached out to a couple of designers, Tiannahs Empire and Nikkito Couture.

What keeps you up at night?

Fear of poverty and failing, drive for excellence at what I do.

If given the chance to be the President of Nigeria for a day, what will you change?

I will change all leaders at the helms of affairs and bring in vibrants youths who are vision driven to make our country great. At least 60% of our youths will be given jobs.

Country or city you’ll love to visit soonest?

Bora Bora.

You are into makeup for fun at the moment. Any plans to turn this skill into business?

Yes and I have my makeup line too.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Owning my own makeup line, giving a little to my community and making the world a better place using fashion as a tool.

If you were given the opportunity to address a group of girls five years younger than you, what will be your advice to them.

Be focused GIRL.
Your dreams are valid, anything you’ve set your mind to do, you can do it.

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MICHELLE SNEED OPENS UP ABOUT SERVING AS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT AT TYLER PERRY STUDIOS

In today’s culture its so beautiful the witness the change women are experiencing in leadership.

Michelle Sneed a veteran television and film executive serves as the first female president of Tyler Perry Studios (TPS), where she oversees all productions and development in film and television. According to her the studio has obviously evolved, because there were no females in leadership positions in about 2009.

Sitting with Black Enterprise, Michelle discussed her role, impact, and contributions to contemporary history. Sh took the position in 2018 “it was a sign that the company was embracing the times with growth and diversity and my appointment represents that.”

Her advice for women, goes thus; believe in everything you have to offer and knowing that you deserve it because of your value. Be completely confident that you are just as capable as your male counterparts and do not allow the constant chatter such as unequal pay and other inequalities to cause us to retreat. If you exude your best energy, align with like-minded individuals, and maintain healthy, mutual relationships, you’ll be amazed at where a robust skillset, rock-solid work ethic, and great relationships can take you—anywhere your male counterparts can go!

She’s known to have good work ethics, advicing her production assistants is to be that person they call first as they’re going to call the person who they know is going to make them look good, and who they know is going to work hard.

According to Sneed, leadership isn’t just about being the boss but inspiring people to swing to action and finding creative and supportive ways for them to buy into a shared vision. Perry exemplifies this not by shoving off orders but actually doing the work, which empowers her to want to work just as hard as Tyler does. This alignment creates an atmosphere to attract and work with emerging talent, provide greater opportunities, and see people excel.

Her loyalty to studio is profound as she believes it to be Walt Disney. The campus was built for creatives to come and explore their dreams through endless possibilities.

Michelle is setting the bar high for other women and making a mark that cannot be erased.

 

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23 Year Old Woman Becomes Youngest Minister And Mp In Namibia

23-year-old Namibian woman, Emma Theofilus has been appointed the country’s youngest minister. The appointment of Theofilus by President Hage Geingob as deputy information and technology minister also made her the Southern African country’s youngest member of parliament.

A law graduate, Theofilus was part of president Geingob’s list of eight non-voting members announced on Sunday and sworn Tuesday, The Namibian reports.

According to multiple reports, Theofilus was informed of her appointment through a “surprisingly rare” phone call from the State House that would change her life forever as one of the eight presidential nominees for the country’s national assembly and a deputy minister.

The 23-year-old’s appointment as expected drew a barrage of criticism from the country’s old elites, questioning her capacity and competence—criticisms she has taken coolly and vowed to claim the honor done her.

“I do not think I am special, but I do not think I am inexperienced, and I do not think being young or female has anything to do with my appointment. Anything I set myself to and any environment I want to work into, I can do it; so the issue of inexperience does not hold any water,” said Theofilus as reported by The Namibian.

“I am excited. I am told I will be used as a benchmark for young people. I take on the challenge like I have taken other leadership roles. It is uncharted territory and political space but I am ready to take on the challenge,” she added in a separate interview.

Aware of the expectations that lie ahead, she said she will not go into the ministry thinking “I know it all.”

“So of course the minister, being the head and political appointee, and the deputy minister allow the whole ministerial position to function. It is a supporting role, just like any law has supporting regulations to allow it to function.

“I do not think being a deputy minister is a role that cannot be brought to life, the person should know what they have planned for that position and anybody can do it. It is not an insignificant role,” she added.

Source: Face to Face Africa

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Kylie Jenner Donates $1 Million to Coronavirus Pandemic Relief Efforts

22 year old Kyle Jenner from keeping up with the kardashians has reportedly donated $1 million, to help purchase hundreds of thousands of face masks, face shields, and other medical supplies used by healthcare professionals who are currently on the frontlines amidst this unprecedented pandemic. 

In response to this, Dr. Thais Aliabadi, who delivered the reality star’s daughter Stormi Webster, issued a statement of thanks;

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#INTERVIEW| ‘LIVING IS NOT IN THE LENGTH OF YEARS BUT IN THE QUALITY OF IMPACT’ – CHRISTINA SONAME

Christina Soname is an amazing woman with an exceptional training skill and knowledge. A first class graduate of economics she heads the consulting team at LYD Consulting Limited, and has
deployed training interventions for organizations like Google, Lagos Business School, GTBank, First Bank,amongst others.

Sharing with Women of Rubies, she relates her journey;

Childhood Influence
I can say my childhood played a key role in shaping my interests and preparing me for the things I do now. First, the values my parents instilled in my siblings and I are the kind that makes us stand out all the time. Values including love, integrity, faithfulness, kindness, mutual respect, etc. I was that child that converted my mum’s flowers to my pupils. I will hold a cane in my hand and start to teach ‘my pupils’ just the way my own school teacher taught me that day. My mum will scold me for flogging her flowers, and I will insist that they didn’t do their assignment that’s why I flogged them (lol). Watching my mum’s exceptional delivery as a teacher really made me proud of her. My dad himself was great at impacting knowledge. He taught in church periodically and I was so absorbed by his methods. My exposure to my amazing knowledge impacting parents has had a great influence on me and what I do today.

Christina Olusile

Inspiration                                         

A number of things actually. My interests, my skill set, and my understanding of the future of work and the role my industry will play in that future. I think that an organization’s most valuable assets is its people and the best that people can do is hinged on what they know. Helping organization’s equip their people to perform at their optimum is one of the things that inspired my choice of career. Moreso, a lot of valuable impact will be driven by the knowledge economy, in the coming days.

Major principle                                        One major principle that guides me is ‘whatever your hand finds to do, do well’. I believe that if a thing can be done, it can be done well. Consequently, my how is to give my best. I allow my value system override my emotions. Regardless of how I am feeling, my actions are driven by what I believe to be right, based on the values I live by. For example, I wake up on some days and just feel like staying in bed. Maybe because it’s been a demanding week or just a desire to sleep some more. Whichever the case, my value for faithfulness and my respect for my employer will fuel my next course of action.

Another major thing for me is constantly developing my skill set. It positions me to deliver great work. I place a lot of value on knowledge, including learning from others. For me it’s not just about the formality of learning, but how that knowledge can impact on the value I add to my clients, and my world at large.

Work Based Challenge

Speaking of corporate training, one major challenge is organisation’s not giving priority to learning & development. Staff Training is usually the first thing some organisation’s cut back on in a lean budget system. It’s a challenge when employers do not understand the importance of training their staff and how a more knowledgeable staff will produce better results leading to the achievement of the organization’s goals in the short& long run. Some employers’ concern is ‘what if the staff leave after being trained?’ In response I ask ‘what if they stay?’ 

If given a role to help other women 

I have a passion to see women become the best versions of themselves. Every woman’s dream is valid. I will be involved in women advocacy, formulating & driving empowerment policies starting from the grass root that seek to educate the girl-child and engage women in communities on sustainable & transformational models of empowering them to reach their highest potential.
I will also partner with agencies and organisations with similar vision in ensuring that women receive all round development.


Being a Compere and finding balance
Oh yes, this is one fun thing about me. I have been compering events since my teenage years. I have very commendable communication and engagement skills which I have further developed, over the years. There’s a side of me that shows up when I compere events. It’s a fine blend of skill and humor. I have a bias for formal and semi-formal events, but I sometimes host informal events like bridal showers, baby showers, etc.
I balance things out by taking on just as much jobs as my schedule can handle. I don’t try to be everywhere. When I receive a brief for a job that I can’t handle because of my schedule, I recommend a colleague. I encourage my clients to give me advance notice.
Keeping a detailed calendar of events helps me a lot in balancing things out. I record things that have to do with my family time, study time, etc. in my calendar. The overall impact is I am able to give time to most of the things that matter, in sufficient proportions.

Voluntary works

Yes I place a lot of value on charitable work. Asides what I learned from my parents in that regard, one of my internship placements at the start of my career really influenced my interest in voluntary service.
My volunteer experience, teaching for 1 hour a week at a state owned secondary school was really transformational for me. I feel like I learned more from the students than I taught them. I had a lot of sober reflections in that season of my life that helped me take defining decisions with regards my own life and how I use my resources.
I have been a part of a number of projects with different NGO’s who deliver value in my interest areas. I also serve on the advisory board of an NGO. One major thing volunteering does for me is help me to be a more grateful human being.

Personal projects and activities
My husband and I are very interested in raising a godly home, and helping our contemporaries do same. To this end, we carry out a number of personal projects including hosting periodic meet ups where we have practical discussions about relationships and marriage. We encourage some level of accountability in these hubs.
Through my weekly publication on Instagram tagged ‘#dearyoungprofessional’ I share practical tips which help professionals and business leaders win at their daily endeavours. I am able to reach hundreds of young professionals weekly, through this platform.

Source of inspiration 
The life of Jesus Christ challenges me the most. I am challenged by the fact that living is not necessarily in the length of years but in the quality of impact.
I have had different people I look up to, depending on the season I am. In my current season, I really look up to Mr. Bankole Williams and General Debola Deji-Kurunmi. These 2 outstanding global leaders have the most impact on me in my current season.

On being a Woman of rubies 
I am a nurturer of my God-given abilities and an inspiration to other young women. It is great to know that just by being about my father’s business and living by the values I have come to adopt, others find some kind of inspiration in me and give themselves permission to let their light shine.

Advice to women aspiring to be in this field
I will say that the first task for any woman is to ensure that her heart believes what her head is saying. Whatever it is you desire to be, ensure that your beliefs about yourself and about life support your desires. It is possible to be saying you want something but you don’t even believe you can have it. Everyone’s belief system (i.e. their mindsets) eventually shapes their outcomes in life, whether they consciously realize it or not. Your beliefs are a product of a number of things like your upbringing, your experiences, your environment, etc. You must ensure that what you belief about yourself and about life, align with what you consciously desire to be or have.
For the person interested in consulting and corporate training, I suggest you take time to do some research on these fields of work. Understand what the trends are on a global scale, so you can take informed decisions that will position you appropriately in (for example) the choice of what aspect of consulting to go into, or what aspect of trainings to tap into.
Also take note of the required technical and soft skills and get them. The technical skills required will depend on the aspect of consulting or training you decide to go into. Some of the needed soft skills include excellent communication & presentation, people engagement and emotional intelligence.
If you can identify an internship opportunity to further enhance your skill gathering process, this will be very useful.

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Adaora Lumina Mbelu shares 10 Important Life Lessons from her Divorce | Watch

She says:

Hi Guys, if you’ve read my book “This Thing Called Purpose”, it’s no news to you that I went through a separation about 2 years ago, and a divorce. At the time when my divorce process started, I tried to search for content that talked about how to handle things. I couldn’t find anything in this part of the world, that I could learn from. I realize that Divorce is a “taboo” subject, and many people are either too ashamed to talk about it, or just don’t want to deal with 3rd party. I’ve just done a video on my YouTube channel, where I share 10 Things I learned from my divorce. I’m an advocate for trying to fix broken relationships, so…No… I’m not asking you to get a divorce.😑. (Had to get that disclaimer in, because some of y”all can tell your pastor that Adaora said….). This video is for people who have either been through a separation/divorce, going through one, or for anyone who has been in an intimate relationships that ended. .

In this video, I talk about some of the things I’ve learned, and how I believe it’s best to handle the entire process.

Watch the video below :

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The Queen is expected to speak to the British nation soon amidst Covid-19 crisis

In her almost 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth is expected to give a special address to the nation. This would be her  fourth time to do this and will take place in the coming weeks in a televised speech focused on pandemic.

According to The Times, the Queen will address the British public.

The Queen series of televised address are as follows:

-2002, on the eve of her mother’s funeral. Before this, she spoke to the public in -1997 following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and,

-1991, when she addressed the nation during the Gulf War.

Last week, the Queen shared a written message with the nation, she stressed the “vitally important role” the public has to play in the Covid-19 crisis.

“We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them,” wrote the Queen. “At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.”

We can’t wait.

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A call centre agent at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed her experience since the Coronavirus

Joke, a call centre agent at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)  reveals her experience since the Coronavirus outbreak. Speaking with Zikoko.com she explained  what her week look like.

Coronavirus NCDC

MONDAY:

I stand up from bed by 5 am today. I say “stand up” because it’s not voluntary. I prepare my kids for school, cook their breakfast and pack their lunch boxes. My husband drops the children at school, while I prepare for work. All this happens before 8 am, which is my resumption time.

There was a time I was sure of closing by 4 pm, but since the outbreak of Covid-19, I get off work by 8 pm and I still take work home. I now work round the clock. This means that even when I get home, I still receive messages from people on the night shift asking for help in sieving calls from work. I have to prioritize and ask for further clarification from each caller, before determining whether to escalate the issue to the people on the field or not. So, I get off work physically by 8 pm, but I just replace it with working from home.

Today is a rollercoaster because we are working hard to keep up with the number of calls. My colleague who worked the Sunday shift hasn’t been able to go home because his conscience can’t stand leaving us with such a large workload. So, somehow, he stays to support us and ends up working a 48-hour shift. This would have been strange to us in the past, but we are living in strange times.

When I get home, my husband has cooked for the children and I am thankful for that. I am one of the lucky ones who has a husband who is understanding. During this period, he has been extremely supportive and I don’t know how I would cope if he wasn’t. All I do is prepare stew for the week and he cooks and takes care of the children before I get back from work.

I am too tired to eat. I just want whatever sleep I can get. If I go to bed now, at least when someone at work calls me by 10 pm, I would have gotten 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

TUESDAY:

Every job has its ups and downs. It’s easy to envy other jobs from afar but if they tell you what their job entails, it wouldn’t look so glamorous. I studied Microbiology in university; I was looking for a job relevant to my field of study and that’s why I took this job.

This job gives you a thick skin. In a day, you can get up to 40 calls with people just calling to ask if the number is working. Today, I got a call where the person on the other end of the line was quiet. The person listened to me talk without saying anything.  Another person called and said: “So, the line is even working. Una well done.”

Over the years, you learn not to throw stones at the person, to just laugh it off.  As part of the customer service training, you learn that you can’t talk back to the person at the other end of the line, and they have a right to their opinion. No matter how annoying. So, I share the “joke” with my colleague and we laugh over it.

WEDNESDAY:

I have barely slept for 3 hours. I have been writing and coordinating reports about the outbreak and possible cases to send to the field agents. There was a time that I could go to sleep by 8:30 pm or 9:00 pm with no worries. Nowadays, I’m always worried that if I fall asleep, I will miss any call that comes in. And calls come in at odd times.

Today, I wake up feeling lethargic. My husband encourages me to get out of bed and to start preparing for work. He has been supportive even though my laptop has literally taken his place for now. He knows that I must show up whether I feel up to it or not…

I try not to think about how long I have to do this. I am just going to take this situation one day at a time for my own sake. Although, I am worried that despite all our efforts and advice at the NCDC, Nigerians will not adhere to instructions and the infection will spread and all this stress will be for nothing.

Today, I received a call that made my day at work. Someone called saying: “God will bless you, I just want to appreciate the work you people are doing for Nigeria.” I thanked the person on behalf of NCDC but the person added: “I am not praying for NCDC, I am praying for you.” This made me happy. At least someone somewhere appreciates what I am doing and my sleepless nights are not in vain.

THURSDAY:

Another thing I have also learned in this job is to separate home personality from work personality. At home, I am a mother, a wife. At work, I am a worker. I give each part its due diligence and that’s why today is painful for me because I know how much I give for each role.

I got a call and in between all the pleasantries and asking how I could be of assistance, the caller goes: “Please, don’t ask me what you can do for me. You and the government are wicked and stupid. I know there is no Coronavirus and you are joining the government to eat money when people are dying of hunger. Thunder fire your mouth.”

The worst part for me was how helpless I was. I could neither cut the call nor respond. I had to calmly sit through the insults until the caller was done.

After the call was over, I went out of the connect centre to the corridor and started to scream. “What sort of rubbish is this? Why would someone be so mean when I am just trying to do my best? Even as I am on the frontline, I am not sure whether I will get this illness or not, yet I still show up to play my part. Why would someone think this is a joke?” I let it all out before returning to the connect center calmer and lighter.

I scream because I can’t take the anger home. Over the years, I have learned to separate both lives if I want to strike a balance. I have little children at home aged 11, 8 and 6 who don’t know better. I don’t want to go back home as a different person from the one that left in the morning. I don’t want to be the person that was all smiles and cracking jokes in the morning and is now blank and edgy after work. If I am always angry and irritable, my children will run away from me once I get home.

FRIDAY:

These days I don’t even think of unwinding. In the past, I would relax by either going to watch a movie, going to visit a friend, or playing with my kids. Even if there was no social distancing, where is the time?

There’s no time to unwind because when I get even small breathing space from work, I am thinking of my family. How to make sure they aren’t affected too much by my current busy schedule. What should I buy in the house? The children, how will they survive this week? I am trying to make things as “normal” as I possibly can.

I don’t even have the time to be afraid because fear can even kill more than the disease. Over time, I have learned that whatever will happen will happen regardless of whether you are afraid or not. All you can do is get as much information as you can on prevention, adhere to it, and trust God.

Also, because of the kind of person that I am, I don’t like things that I do to fail. This means panic comes last to my mind and I just do whatever needs to be done because my job is duty calling. I just know that I won’t always do this forever and there will come a time when I will rest and unwind.

But right now, I just want to go home and take a cold shower.

SATURDAY:

There’s training at work today. We are bringing on more people to help with the call centre effort and managing the numerous calls we receive every day.

Before this outbreak, we could conveniently handle the workload, but now, we need more hands so we don’t burn out.

Coronavirus NCDC

There is a chain of reporting which we follow. The other call centre agents compile their reports to me along with suspected cases who have called in and have been thoroughly vetted based on travel history and symptoms. I then compile and escalate this report to the state epidemiologist. Every state has an epidemiologist who then notifies the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer at the local government level. This is the person who goes to the house address to verify the claims and then reports to the state epidemiologist who then reports back to the NCDC.

I am still on duty today even after the training and will probably take work home. Thank goodness I don’t have to come in tomorrow.

SUNDAY:

Well, there is no church service today so I can cook for the week. Sundays used to be my day of rest. I could afford to sleep in the afternoon after church. But now, I use it to prepare meals for the week so that my family will not be stranded.

What I most look forward to when this is all over is going on leave for like 2 weeks. Just travelling to a place where all I have to do is sleep, wake, eat and not talk too much. All this talking every day at work is making my throat pain me already; I need to rest.

I’m going to the market to buy ingredients for my meal preparation. I am back to work again tomorrow until when all this blows over. Then I can finally get to rest my throat and my eyes.

 

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Serena Williams Reveals Social Distancing is Causing Her Anxiety

Serena Williams has opened up about how difficult she is finding social distancing.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion revealed on Instagram more than a week ago that she planned to spend six weeks at home because of the coronavirus crisis.

And, in a post on TikTok, Williams explained she is struggling to deal with the anxiety that she is feeling.

The 38-year-old said: “I wanted to take a minute and talk about my experience with corona. It started out with me feeling like, ‘Oh it can’t really affect me’.

“And then suddenly Indian Wells was cancelled and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s weird but I have a little time off and I’m going to enjoy that time off.

“And then one cancellation led to another and then led to another and led to all this anxiety that I’m feeling.

“Now I’ve been social distancing for actually a really long time, for probably two weeks now, and every little thing makes me crazy.

“And by anxiety I mean I’m just on edge. Any time anyone sneezes around me or coughs I get crazy. I don’t hang out with anyone, and when I say anyone I mean my daughter.

“She coughed, I got angry and gave her a side-eye. I gave her that ‘angry Serena’ and then I got sad.

“I was like, ‘Is she ok? Is there something wrong with my daughter? Is there anything I can do?’ I just don’t know what to do, so instead of being relaxed I’m really under a ton of stress.”

The ATP and WTA announced earlier this week that there will be no tournaments until June, with the whole of the clay-court season called off.

Meanwhile, recently-retired Caroline Wozniacki revealed she had been unable to go home from a trip to Africa.

Accompanied by a photo showing the Dane and husband David Lee in masks, Wozniacki wrote on Instagram: “We got stuck in Africa but finally on our way home! Going to self quarantine as soon as we get back! Stay safe everyone!”

Source: WomanAfrica

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Meet the Nigerian Microbiologist Who is Determined to Find the Cure for COVID-19

A young lady microbiologist has taken it upon herself to seek a cure for the novel coronavirus.
.
Known on Twitter as @unofficialbibi she makea her intentions known while sharing photos of herself in a laboratory, stating how she intends to staying in the lab till she finds a cure for the disease.

She wrote: “As a Microbiologist….
. “I have entered the lab and I won’t leave until I find the cure for Corona virus…. #FightCOVID19 .
. “Wish me luck. Don’t forget to wash your hands and stay safe.” #coronavirus

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