2023- Year in Review

I never wanted to write what this year is for me. But my friend explained that you write these things not for now, but for the future. To have something to look back on in ten years and see how far you’ve come and where you would be.

In 2023, I pushed through. The first half of the year was met with several rejections and almost giving up, but the second half was God saying, “Hold my cup”

A major push for me in 2023 was that I wanted to be discovered in the career path I’ve chosen but the following where the highlights of the year for me:

• I published my first article on Children’s Political Education and what it is in it for Nigerian Children’s Future
• I published other articles on women’s education and population size, women political appointment and the case for women’s representation.
• - I got an Africa Women in Media Fellowship for Women in Politics and published the article on the future of Nigerian Women at the Polls
• - I graduated from my degree, a masters in International Relations from Covenant University
• I started my own Organization/project, Learn Politics NG aimed at democratising political education in Nigeria
• I got interviewed by the Culture Custodian on my work with Learn Politics and how we are sensitising people with political education
• I got admitted with a 100 percent scholarship to the school of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) for the Certificate in Public Leadership and Policy
• I got to facilitate a class on Governance for Gen Zs and Baddies for Civic Hive Creative Changemakers Fellowship
• I spoke as a Panelist at The Nexus Summit on Policy and Politics for Business Owners
• I spoke also as a virtual Panelist for Poliz Ng Launch on Youths Participation in Governance
• I also contributed and spoke for the Nigerian Global Affairs Council on the challenges of Global Governance.
• I started a job as a Research Programs Intern in a place I love
• I’m currently mentoring undergraduate students in my field doing research projects particularly focused on gender.

Lessons from the Year

• If you know what is good for you, just start that thing
• Failure is a part of process. One day, you are wondering why your life is scattering, another day, you have a part of your life figured out.
• Keep showing up for those things that will put you in the right trajectory
• You are the impostor, there’s no syndrome anywhere
• Just keep doing. Life is not always a straight path.
• You really can’t do life without people
• Social media might just be a very good place to put yourself out there.

More important to me this year is how my friendship bloomed and even though adulting had it bad sides, I’m grateful to God especially that we could scale through the year together.

My anchor verse on entering the second half of the year was Deut 31:6 – ”So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”“

‭Grateful mostly for how my relationship with God blossomed. Maybe in 2024, my relationship with a man will blossom 🫣

If you want to reach out, it’s @thekintann on Instagram and Twitter, Victoria Oladipo for Linkedin and victoriaoladipoo@gmail.com for official emails

See you in 2024 and Happy New Year in Advance.