This month, our volunteer of the month is Lily Aninyei because of her dedication to her students by bringing several speakers to talk to them about various aspects of business. On one occasion, she brought in media personality Chioma Omeruah, popularly known as “Chigul” to speak to her students in Janet N John College about passion, career, and business.

In an interview below, Lily answers key questions on volunteering:

What is your motivation for volunteering? Growing up, volunteering was a culture practiced in our home. My mum would always ensure no holiday passed without us working in one capacity or the other as volunteers. For instance,  she had an NGO that worked with women, youth and the environment so if I was not visiting prisons to hand out food and clothing to the inmates on Christmas Day, I was working at the secretariat of a UN workshop handling administrative duties.

What do you gain from volunteering? There is always a beautiful exchange of ideas as I get to learn a lot from the students as they infect me with their “can do” spirit and hopefully I have also been able to break down some hitherto existing mental blocks too. At the end of every session there is a sense of fulfillment that I am able to contribute a little towards molding the mindset of the future generation. I am always excited every time I have to visit Janet N John College, my allocated school.

Why is it important to be a volunteer? To whom much is given, much is also expected has always been my guiding phrase. We always have to give back and pass down some good from one generation to the next. We need that exchange of energy to motivate and inspire others. There is nothing like that exchange of energy from one human being to another and that cannot be gotten from the internet.