Background.

I am Abosede Oluranti Gbenga-Akinbiola. I hail from Ile-Ogbo, a suburb in Osun State of Nigeria. I am the sixth child in a family of ten. My late dad was a teacher and my mum a trader.  I am in my forties. I am married and blessed with three beautiful children. I am passionate about issues concerning women and the girl-child. My educational journey started at Saint Paul’s Primary school Gbongan, Osun state. After my primary school, I moved to Gbongan and Odeomu Anglican Grammar School for my secondary education. However, I only completed a year of high school at the school before moving to Akure to stay with my elder sister. Thereafter, I continued and finished my secondary education at Omoluorogbo Grammar School, Akure. In 1991, I gained admission into Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife to study Language Arts. I could remember going to the notice board with trepidation to check my name, on getting there, I was excited to find my name on the merit list. I graduated from O.A.U in 1997, spending seven years for a four-year course. This was not due to having extra years but it was the era of incessant school closure; shutting down schools for months and sometimes for a year. After my graduation, I was posted to Kebbi State for my compulsory youth service. My parents were scared about my going to the North, I was so young and naïve. We agreed that I will redeploy back home. However, when I got to Kebbi, I met people from my school and I decided not to redeploy again. I was posted to Kebbi State Broadcasting Service and was seconded to the radio station. So, I had a stint as a broadcaster presenting two programs. Corper’s forum and What do you know? (a quiz program). After I completed my national service in 1998, I was employed by the Oyo State Government as an Instructor and a classroom teacher at Estate High School, Akobo, Ibadan. My aspiration for greater heights propelled me to move to Osun State Polytechnic, Iree (a higher education institution) in 1999. Furthermore, in the same 1999, I started my Master’s program in Communication & Language Arts at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria where I graduated with a distinction. This program clearly paved my way to my doctorate program. I came to the United States in 2009 and began a doctoral program in Higher Education Administration at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland in 2011. After many setbacks, ups and downs, having a baby, I finally finished my Ph.D. in March this year.

What do you do/where do you work?

Presently, I work as a Writing Fellow at the Morgan State University Writing Center. At the Writing Center, I provide academic assistance to students on course work and writing assignments. I mentor and guide students towards developing better writing skills/ cultivating the writer in the students. I facilitate students’ understanding of writing conventions i.e. by analyzing assignments, listening and responding to students’ drafts, and introducing students to various writing strategies. Also, I aid students’ understanding of the reader/writer relationship, the role of punctuation in the construction of meaning, the function of thesis, the rules of citation formats, prewriting, brainstorming strategies and organizational strategies. Basically, I help students become better writers.

How did you come about the decision of what you currently do? What are some of the career choices that have led you to this point?

It is an interesting story because I did not believe I could become a writing fellow in my institution. I had been searching for jobs on campus, because as an international student, my visa permitted me to work only on the campus. I kept on searching for a job that would be a good fit for my skills. In 2014, a friend called me to check if I was still job hunting, after I answered in the affirmative, she told me about the Writing Center. I sent my resume and cover letter to the director that night. She invited me for an interview and the rest is history. I believe my earlier jobs prepared me for what I am doing now. As I mentioned earlier, I began my career as a teacher at Estate high school where I prepared high school students for external examinations (JAMB, SSCE and UME). I also provided classroom teaching in English Language as a course to students in eleventh and twelfth grades. I coordinated the preparation of learning material for courses and devised relevant practical activities. Also, when I moved to Osun State Polytechnic, I prepared interactive and visual teaching materials. I conducted presentations on individual and group projects assigned to students in the courses being taught. I chaired committees which organized and directed workshops and seminars. All of these are what I do presently at the Writing Center.

What inspires or drives you, why do you do what you do?

I am driven by a sense of commitment and responsibility to the people who have gone ahead of me and the people coming after me. After God, my biggest source of inspiration is the women in my life, especially my grandmother, mother and elder sisters. I grew up at a time and in a community/culture where it seems the male child was more celebrated and as such, I probably would not have had the opportunity to see the walls of the university, nor would I be a doctorate degree holder today if not for my mother and elder sisters who stood their ground and were determined that any girl child in the family who desired to be educated would not be denied. They have served as a lifelong drive and my elder sister who is a trailblazer, as she just completed her tenure as the first female vice chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education keeps pushing me. She was one of the people who kept pushing me to dream beyond Nigeria, to start writing papers and attending conferences. She helped develop my confidence and ability.

“I am driven by a sense of commitment and responsibility to the people who have gone ahead of me and the people coming after me.” Dr Abosede Gbenga-Akinbiola.

My grandmother Oyerinola  Anike Adegorite was also made a huge impact on me and taught me to value myself, she taught me that being a woman is not a setback rather it should spur my determination for success. My grandmother’s fearlessness was and is always a source of inspiration to me. She told us a story of when her father died and his siblings took her inheritance from her because she was a woman despite the fact that she used to go with her father to the farm. She took them to the native court, which was about four miles away. She rejected the 6 pounds she was awarded, and later appealed the judgment at the Onireke, court Ibadan, Oyo state. This was at a time when there were no vehicles so she used to walk for a day to attend the court session the next day. She did this for a year and won the case as the court gave her the land back. Despite the difficulty and the danger, she pursued the case to the end because of her belief that women should have a voice and not be relegated to the background. This background shaped my interests and passion in women and women issues, particularly education and empowerment.

I understand that I can be whatever I want to be irrespective of my gender. The realization that fulfilling my destiny and God ordained purpose is in my hands makes me avoid any form of complacency. Also, as a mother, I want to be a source of example to my children, especially the girls. I want them to know that their choices are unlimited and they should not settle. I want to inspire them and other women around me to dream more and dream bigger. This has created in a burden in my heart that keeps me on my toes and push me to keep reaching for more. A big eye opener for me was winning the American Association of University Women International Fellowship in 2013. It showed me the impact of support, especially financial support in empowering women’s education. I was surprised that some women can just come together, raise $20,000 and give it away without anything attached. Money raised through bake sales, yard sales and other means just because they want to empower and smoothen the educational path of women that they don’t even know. I met the women that provided my grant at a luncheon hosted for me and I kept thinking these are women like you and I, who are dedicated to providing help and support to others. It was a defining moment for me that further strengthened my resolve to help other women.

“The realization that fulfilling my destiny and God ordained purpose is in my hands makes me avoid any form of complacency.” Dr Abosede Gbenga-Akinbiola

I realize that the totality of who I am today and what I have achieved is because of the unquantifiable and unimaginable commitment and sacrifices of these various women in my life. I believe to whom much is given, much is expected, so the commitment to encouraging other women, open up a space for them and pass the torch to others drives me.

What skills or habits did you develop along the way that helped you get here and helps you in keeping up with the demands of what you currently do?

It is a combination of skills and strategies.

One of the strategies that has worked for me is not looking at things as mountains. This is because such portrayal can make something seem scary. If you do not attempt something, you would not know if it is possible. So one of my approaches to life is to tell myself, no matter what, it is possible and I can do it. Developing and imbibing this mindset has led to my mantra “it is doable, I can achieve whatever I want to achieve.” This has become a propelling force for me.

A second strategy is to be deliberate and intentional about whatever it is you want to do. This is what helped me throughout my PhD. I started with the clear intention that I was going to complete it, so even when people I knew stopped due to the challenges, I was ready to go through the challenges and even cut off somethings in order to achieve my goal. I was very committed in my mind that I was going to get the degree and was very deliberate that I did not just want to get my degree, but I wanted to get the best out of it.

A third strategy is prioritization; I have learnt how to focus on what matters the most at every season of my life. Each season of my life required that I changed my priorities in order to fit that season, it is important to be dynamic in shifting around what the top priority is at every point in time while remaining focused on the end goal. Throughout my career and academics, I had periods where I did not go for social gatherings or events in order to focus on my what I had before me. There was a time when I cut off my hair, because I figured the time I was spending in the salon making my hair could be spent bonding and interacting with my kids since I already had a busy academic engagement taking a lot of my time, when I did not have time to go out with my kids, I would create specific days for us to just spend time in the house watching a movie and eating popcorn. Prioritization has helped me find balance and switch from one stage of my life to the other.

“If you do not attempt something, you would not know if it is possible” Dr Abosede Gbenga-Akinbiola.

Another thing that has helped me to this point is being passionate about what I was/am doing. For example, I was able to go through the long challenging journey of my PhD because I was not just doing my project for the sake of my degree. I was doing something I was very passionate and interested in, this along with my mindset of getting the best drove me. My passion was fueled and shaped by my experiences as a professional woman within the Nigerian Higher education system. Do what you are passionate about and something that you can stand by. Always have your why.

In terms of skills and habits, Multitasking is very important. I had to take care of my children and home while working and studying. I would cook while studying at night. I had to balance going for my children’s school events, spending time with them and also forging ahead in my career. Multitasking has also helped me juggle other responsibilities outside my home and career/academics. I am also a member of a honor society, Golden key. I had to juggle positions I had within the society along with traveling for compulsory meetings, summits and volunteering roles. I also head a unit within my church and have other commitments.

I rely on the support of people around me. It is important to surround yourself with people who support your dreams and aspirations. They help ease the burden.

I seek constructive feedback from people as I recognize that I am not an island or a well of knowledge, so I always seek out people who are well informed in areas where I am not an expert in order to broaden my horizon. Another skill I developed a long time ago was reading, I love reading, and not just academic books, I read novels, papers and other contents. This skill helped ground my dissertation, I was able to do a thorough background research because I read a lot. Resilience is also important, there were days that pushed me to tears but resilience got me through. Moving forward will require that you develop resilience because challenges and setbacks will happens.

Can you give some insight into a task or responsibility you had to handle and how you were able to achieve it?

A specific recent example I can think of was when I was going to start my dissertation project and I wanted to reach the women I wanted to interview. The process was so tedious, as reaching a lot of them was quite difficult. I sent a lot of emails, made a lot of calls and kept trying. When one method did not work, I would look for another way to reach them or look for someone who could help me reach them. I had to be dynamic and return to the drawing board often to re-strategize. I also had to forfeit sleep on some days where I had to conduct online interviews at night because of the time zone differences. The process which could have been completed in one month took about a year but my determination, dedication, focus and resilience was what kept me till I got the results I wanted.

“It is doable, I can achieve whatever I want to achieve.” Dr Abosede Gbenga-Akinbiola.

Do you have an example of any other social enterprise that involves working with, supporting or encouraging people?

During my time as a lecturer in Nigeria. I was the coordinator for  Women in Technical Education. I learnt from my sister who was also in academia, so I was able to motivate women to go for more conferences and trainings, to write papers and be involved in more research. I also led the move to build a functional daycare center on the campus so women with babies could be productive at work knowing their children were well taken care of. I also volunteered with NGOs where I took part of outreaches and was involved in mentoring young women to aim higher and do better and I continue to do this in my current role as a writing fellow.

Do you have a spiritual practice? If so, has this influenced or helped you in your work or decisions in anyway

Yes. Prayer and fasting. God is my biggest backbone and support. There were times I came close to giving up on my dreams and desires, but in one way or another, God steps in and renews my hope and strength, which then propels me to push forward again.

One More Thing you intend to do or are working towards and some steps/decisions/skills you are making/learning to achieve it ?

My next move is considering a post doctoral role. I also want to publish some articles from my dissertation and possibly write a book based on my findings. I know I need to develop more skills to help me do this, so I am going for a retreat soon with the aim of learning more about publishing my findings. The important thing is to keep taking a step after the other, after you climb one step, look for the next one to climb.

Other words of wisdom/encouragement;

I want to encourage people, especially women who feel like they may be too old to set a new goal or have a new dream. I started my PhD in my forties and completed it with three children. You must understand that it is possible to achieve your goals and still balance other aspects of your life. There are many opportunities, but you must be bold and conquer the fear of the unknown, fear is a limiting factor. It is important that you know who you are and your capabilities and then keep developing on them. Dream bigger, it is what you dream of that you can work towards achieving. When you keep trying to move upwards, whether as a man or woman, there may be some hostility, whiplash, barriers etc but you must choose to remain committed and undeterred.

“You must be bold and conquer the fear of the unknown, fear is a limiting factor.” Dr Abosede Gbenga-Akinbiola.

Thank you

Dr Abosede Gbenga-Akinbiola.