Sunday, June 09, 2013

Obiocha Ikezogwo, Achievement Personified

On May 5th 2013, three young, committed, and passionate women joined forces to launch Yaaya - a platform to showcase the achievements and ambitions of black women in Europe, and raise their aspirations through inspirational stories. Obiocha Ikezogwo forms one third of this trio, and defines herself as an "engineer of social justice", and a "future leader."

Fiercely driven, yet compassionate, Obiocha possesses the courage and foresight of transformational leaders. With such ambition, confidence and an unerring sense of social responsibility, it was no surprise that she beat over 2000 applicants to win the coveted place as a 2013 MILEAD Fellow on May 29th 2013. Recognised as an emerging African female leader, Obiocha will undergo 12 months of leadership development, starting with an intensive 3 week training programme at the Institute of African Studies in Accra, Ghana. As a MILEAD Fellow, Obiocha will also be tasked with establishing an initiative to address the issues faced by black women in her community.

Obiocha feels strongly about investing in people; a passion which has led her to assume numerous mentoring positions including her current role on the University of Manchester’s Gold Mentoring Programme. In addition to this, she has mentored over 50 young women, and is currently a School Governor at the Harris Academy South Norwood in London.

Her nomination as the national representative for the UK, ties in well with her vision for African womanhood, in which "we are empowered at home, and respected abroad." This vision speaks to her decision to co-found Yaaya, an initiative which she believes will highlight the intersectionality between ‘race’ and gender, and tackle the social invisibility which black women and girls in Europe face.

A Petroleum Economist by day, Obiocha’s academic and professional credentials also illustrate why she was selected as a future African leader. With a First Class degree in Finance from the prestigious University of Manchester, Obiocha began her profession on the Graduate Leadership Programme at Centrica Plc, working in different countries such as Norway, and developing a global and pragmatic view in her approach to solving problems.

In the near future, Obiocha hopes to complete an MBA at a prestigious European business school and continue serving her local community. She has ambitious plans for Yaaya’s development, which she hopes to concretise with the support and resources provided by the Moremi Initiative, to ensure that the phrase "iamyaaya" is embedded in the lexicon of young women worldwide.

Through her works and deeds, Obiocha is a positive example to young black women, and a proud ambassador of her country, Nigeria. To us, quite simply, she is Yaaya.

Image Source | Image is copyright of Yaaya.

3 comments :

  1. Excellent article! We need to have more of these stories available for young people to read! Why isn't this printed in tabloids? Why doesn't this appear in X-Factor? Young women AND MEN of all nationalities and creeds would benefit from this. There is nothing to hook a mind more than a story, we can see the growth and the advancement of people. Obiocha, as we say in Igboland I mee la (You have done well).

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  2. One does not have to be African to be fully supportive of this mission. Great initiative, Obiocha! Greatly inspirational! And I hope you and many other black women in Europe will succeed and contribute positively to the society. Kind regards! Anonymous supporter.

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