It was super enlightening!!! I love that I was able to learn from women with different backgrounds and to also have a platform to ask questions and engage with like-minded people. It was amazing! The turnout was extremely low in my group and across the camp. I was basically the only person in my group during our breakout rooms with our group lead. I made the most of that opportunity, but I wished more people would’ve also been there to learn. Hopefully, tomorrow’s turnout is better. I’m just looking forward to gaining more knowledge and passing it on to others because what’s the point of knowledge that isn’t shared? Anyway, I hope you don’t get tired of me and my many thank you’s, but I just cannot help it because this program has already started impacting me and I cannot believe I get to participate all because of YOU!

If I’m to describe today’s session in one word, it’ll be “wow!” I honestly cannot believe how much vulnerability was shared today by the amazing women who spoke! From their successes to their failures, to their learnings and so much more! I cried at many points because it was so overwhelming (in a good way), and that was the only way I could express myself at the time. There is so much to say about all the sessions that took place today, but there was one general message from all the women, which was “self-worth.” For instance, in goal setting, you must understand that nothing is impossible for you, and you must believe in yourself and know that you have all it takes to achieve that goal. Or, in any career, you might find yourself, understand that you are the only person that defines the impact you make and not the person you work for, nor the people you work with. You are enough because God says you are enough! Even in your health, you are worthy! Your self-worth isn’t found in sex because you are not a toy to be played with and your body is the temple of God!

All these things and more will be gems I will hold on to for as long as I live. I now understand why Miss Ope said “If you build a career and can’t see how it helps people, it will not fulfill you!” It’s true because after all the knowledge they’ve impacted into me and the other girls today, I can tell how much fulfillment they gain from walking in their purpose. This is only the second day, and I can’t believe how much my expectations are being surpassed already!

Today’s session was super insightful! I say this especially because of the coding session we had. I honestly had no expectations for it because I didn’t think it’ll be as interesting to me, because I’m not very tech interested, but I had so much fun regardless! I learned so much about programming languages and I don’t think I would’ve ever gone out of my way to learn how to code if not for today’s class. And the joy I felt when I was able to make a square using python is unexplainable! Thereafter we met with phenomenal women in tech who are breaking barriers and questioning the status quo! They all shared so many things with us, but something I’ll always remember is that this is my life, and I am allowed to do the absolute most, and I don’t ever need to shrink myself to make anyone feel comfortable! It hit home because as a girl, you’re told to act a certain way and only do certain things. But hearing that from women who are working in male-dominated fields made me realize that there is nothing impossible, and the only person that can stop me from shining my light is myself. Like Miss Tracy said, “do the absolute most! You only have one life to live.” And for our last session with Miss Karo, where she taught us about personal hygiene, I learned so much! She taught us about the importance of asking questions, why periods shouldn’t be stigmatized, etc. My key takeaway from her session is: having good hygiene is not only beneficial to you but to those around you, because when you smell good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you’re more confident about yourself. As always, I had a wonderful learning experience! I’m especially grateful that I get to learn from so many fantastic women. It’s truly a privilege and I don’t take it for granted!

The first part of today’s session was on critical thinking. I was so amazed at how well I was able to answer the questions that were given to test our knowledge of critical analysis. It made me think beyond how I normally would. And this wasn’t necessarily in a complicated way, but more in a divergent way. I learned so much from that session, but my main takeaway was that: with all I’ve learned throughout the course of the camp, if I don’t think critically, then I haven’t really learned anything. Because critical thinkers are creative, flexible, and original. And if I truly want to create change wherever I go, I must be a critical thinker who solves problems with the help of asking questions, showing interest, and always remaining humble to corrections. Thereafter, we had the second session with amazing women in creative arts and entertainment. They were all so full of wisdom and very inspiring. One common thing they all shared with us was that we must all find out what works for us best as individuals. Just because something works for me doesn’t mean it’ll work for you in the same way. We’re all wired differently and living your life based on someone else’s way of living isn’t the way to go, because you’re not being true to yourself, and that’ll hinder you from finding out what your unique talents and passions are. And for our last session, which was my absolute favorite part, we were taught about vision boarding! It wasn’t my first time hearing about vision boarding, nor was it my first time making one, but it’s always amazing when I learn about it. I learned so many new things today but my favorite one was that writing the vision down and making it plain (Habakkuk 2:2) is something that’ll help you for as long as you live. Because it’ll keep you in check. It’ll keep you grounded, and you will always be inspired even when you don’t see the results for your hard work immediately. Vision boarding makes you focus on your focus and whatsoever you focus on expands. I loved the exercise because it made me reflect on how far I’ve come, and where I want to go. That to me is purposeful living. I’m yet to finish my vision board, but I’m glad I started already with my newfound knowledge! I’m so thankful to have come this far in the program. I can’t believe I just have one more day left! I’ve learned so much about myself and I can’t wait to grow with all I know!

I knew God was good, but this past week has been an even bigger testimony of His goodness upon my life. From when I messaged you last Saturday, to when you called my mum for consent, to me getting into the program, and to this very moment! He truly is a God of alignment. LEAD Camp 2021 was a life-changing moment. Every day when I logged into Zoom, I would literally always have an out-of-body experience because I couldn’t believe how much learning I was encountering from every single person. Not just the speakers, but everyone. The girls. The mentors. The facilitators. The entire JAN Community! It’s beyond wow for me! Today might have been the last day of our camp, but it’s the beginning of a new chapter of my life. What is this chapter about? I don’t know just yet, but I know God knows, and because I serve an intentional God, who never does anything without a plan, I am confident that all I’ve learnt within this past week will be one of the many tools that’ll carry me through this next season of my life. I’m especially proud to have been the group leader of the winning team for the LEAD Camp project competition! And to have also emerged as one of the most outstanding girls with a scholarship from Kibo school, amongst other things I won during the program. It truly was an amazing experience!