Bon Voyage

Hello and welcome to edition III of the OSF Newsletter.

Quite unbelievable that it's almost a year since my last post. So much has happened and when I think of it, 2024 was one of those years, you know the ones where you blink once and its gone.

Whilst it was not without challenges, this year gave us some intense moments but also some wins. These are a few of mine in no particular order; Klay Thompson left the Golden State Warriors-who would’ve thunk it? Steph Curry went to Paris and put the French to bed, #nuitnuit; the Israeli Gaza with its severe humanitarian crisis continues to worsen; the Russian war sadly still rages; the economic situation in Nigeria worsens and another election has come and gone in the US, vice president Kamala Harris went toe to toe with former president Donald Trump and lost. Although that one still hurts, we say a big well-done, KH. They certainly didn’t see you coming.

On the personal side, in December last year my family took a trip to the magical Hamilton Island where my wife and I reaffirmed our wedding vows before our closest friends and family as part of our 10th marriage anniversary. It was a wonderful week on the beach and sun, and we sailed off to the Great Barrier Reef afterwards to scuba dive and a bad attempt at snorkeling. One more memorable moment in December this year we all became citizens of Australia and swore the pledge of allegiance.

"Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!"

At OSF we’re just getting into swing. For our second year we have welcomed 10 new friends to sail with us on this journey. A bright spot I’m proud to call out here is the effort by the previous cohort of scholars to integrate this new set into the OSF community. They showed exemplary leadership in taking on mentor roles, coordinated calls and group messages to share information needed amongst the newcomers. We can say we had a remarkable ceremony because of their contributions. Bravo, torchbearers!

Final to note here, is that OSF is celebrating her very first graduate. How exciting! Proud parents moment for sure. Endurance's story is one of incredible strength and commitment. From almost dropping out of school, hearing about our foundation and beating many others to win a slot in 2023, she has kept her spirit up and her GPAs even higher. She graduates from the department of Pure & Industrial Chemistry at the top of her class, and we are truly proud and happy for her journey that's now about to begin.

Unsurprisingly, the applications sent in this season (March - April) were in excess of 5,300 and while we are humbled at this ever-growing interest, it hasn’t passed our notice that this is a bad indicator of where we are as a nation. Rising costs of living and severe hardship has seen parts of the middle class lose economic status, plunged into a depth of struggle and survival that has never been experienced in Nigeria before now. Not even during the military regime of Sani Abacha when families were forced to get creative and cook meals with saw dust and the likes, was it this bad. But that is a topic for another post.

Our new 10 - the Encore. Meeting and getting to know them has been very rewarding. Bisi and I always say watching them develop in the early stage of their journey to the top, is a good vantage point that inspires us to keep going. Although, these young scholars have come from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, one thing they all have in common is an inherent brilliance that shows in their dedication to academics.

Customarily, we have placed our mission of gender equity front and center in ensuring that the girl child receives a levelling opportunity. For our flagship grant there were 6F and 5M, this season there are 6 ladies and 4 gentlemen, bringing us to a current total of 12 ladies and 9 gentlemen. A metric we maintain is to discuss semester/session reports during individual 1:1/catch up organized in order to maintain their scholarships annually. It is during these sessions we gain even more insight to character development and growth taking place, more importantly, there has been a lot of laughs and great conversations alongside.

With all of this, our goal at OSF is to build a community of well-rounded people who become keen professionals by ensuring that they receive the right guidance. In the course of the year, we have been fortunate to have industry volunteers from around the world share their experiences in mentorship. From company founders in tech to global health scholars, professors in academia to automobile geniuses and leaders in the technology industry. Bisi and I are grateful to have your support.

Standing here on the last day of the year looking back on our challenges and wins, I am reminded of our family, friends, partners and supporters who have all helped in one way or another, some even as far as ensuring that we have access to internship opportunities for some of our scholars.

A rising tide truly lifts all.

Evidently, you all believe in these young people as much as we do, in what they can achieve and accomplish in their time. One thing we are most certain of, is that these ones will individually or collectively touch and improve the lives of many. As we have shared, these 21 could not have been better selected. We hope they continue to be led by God's light and lead with same.

Until next time, bon voyage.

Happy New Year!