SHINY PURPOSE

Hello Brightness,

I hope you have been finding the series enjoyable thus far, although it could just be me. Who knows? 😊 Anyways, let’s pick up where we left off in part 2.

On a particular day, I visited my academic counselor’s office. I have been blessed with the best academic counselor one could ask for. She has always shown genuine concern for me. I recall her once inquiring why I don’t participate in class after hearing reports from my lecturers. I simply replied that I struggle to understand what they are saying. I didn’t say this with any negativity, but if you heard me, you would have felt sorry for me.

During my visit, I intended to inform her of my plan to leave the school and possibly change my course. I anticipated her to agree with my decision since my academic performance wasn’t great. However, to my surprise, she counseled and motivated me. She encouraged me to believe in the statement of purpose I wrote during the application process, which was one of the reasons I got accepted into the school. She promised to support me in any way she could. I was speechless because of the depth of care and love she showed towards me, even though we had no previous relationship. I felt it was the Holy Spirit speaking through her.

Since that day, we have become very close. I often refer to her as my “mom” because of the motherly love she shows me. Her impact on my life was evident to everyone in my family. I was so touched by her love that it became a motivation for me to push myself. I didn’t want her to stop believing in me, so I strived to believe in myself too. She spoke to all my lecturers without my knowledge, asking them to pay special attention to me. She even went the extra mile to make changes that would benefit me. I still wonder what I did to deserve such kindness from her.

Looking back, I am grateful for all the favors I received from her, even though I didn’t fully appreciate them at the time. I now realize how much God had my back all along. He never left me nor forsake me.

My academic performance improved significantly, and I developed a newfound belief in myself, feeling like “I can actually do this.” I was pleasantly surprised to receive an A in an artificial intelligence (AI) course, considering that I had never thought of myself as particularly interested in IT courses before. Although I had always been among the top students, my grades suffered during my master’s program in bioinformatics because the courses didn’t align with my interests, and I lacked the faith that I could succeed. However, I came to realize that God can change anyone who is ready, with emphasis on the word “ready.”

My counselor played a significant role in guiding me towards IT courses, including Python, SQL, and AI, as she noticed my excellence in these areas. This marked the beginning of my IT journey.

I was surprised to discover my interest in IT, as I had never considered it before. However, with my counselor’s guidance, I became happier, more open to challenges, and grateful for the changes that God was working in my life. I was proud to have a counselor who believed in me and helped me discover my potential.

Fast forward to the time to now do my capstone (The capstone project is designed to consolidate my learning with valuable hands-on experience) and by the favor of God, she recommended me to a company where I interned. II vividly recall being asked to start as soon as possible, despite only having a conversation with the company executives and not undergoing an interview, she must have given them a good recommendation as I was told. This made me feel a bit of pressure because I was expected to perform well, despite not having any prior work experience.. I had prayed for this internship because it was one of my main concerns, as I needed to secure a position for my capstone project in order to graduate. When I received the job offer, I realized that a new change and phase had begun.

Will continue in the next post with details of this new phase of my internship and every other thing along the way. In the meantime, let me leave you with this Bible verse.

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” (Psalm 146:5)

STAY SHINY,

Oyinkan_Godstreasure