Teach Middle East Magazine Jan - Mar 2020 Issue 2 Volume 7 | Page 48

A moment with
A MOMENT WITH ACTION JACK
A MOMENT WITH
ACTION JACKSON
BY: LEISA GRACE WILSON
H
ow were your days at school?
Do you have fond memories of
your time or do you look back
with sadness and remorse?
Do you wish you had someone to help
you understand the power of your
dreams and aspirations? Would you
have benefited from some help and
motivation along the way, especially
during those crucial examination
periods? Well, Jackson Ogunyemi, who
from this point forward will be referred
to as Action Jackson has dedicated his
life to serving as an agent of change
and motivation for young people. In
this “ A Moment With” feature, we get
to find out what motivates the man
who is motivating so many!
Action Jackson was born in the United
Kingdom and grew up in Nigeria.
His mother and father were both
entrepreneurs, running a farm and a
soap business. Times were hard and he
watched his parents struggle to build
the business and create a successful
life for him and his siblings. Growing up
in Nigeria taught him discipline, focus
and determination. He remembered
having to wake up early on Saturdays
to feed the animals. This was an
essential part of his upbringing. Having
hard-working parents, he adopted the
habit of DETERMINATION. Today he
runs his own business with the same
work ethic. Take a moment with me
and learn more about Action Jackson.
What are your fondest
memories of school?
I remembered being in a school play
when I was 14 years old, it was called
“Westside Story” I loved performing
on stage and drama was one of my
favourite subjects at school. This was
my first taste of what I believe was
my inner desire for performing arts.
Back then I had the desire of being an
actor, but my limiting beliefs stopped
me. Little did I know that my love for
performing, would one day be used to
empower young people. Today I use
entertainment to educate. I’m glad I
am allowing my heart to lead me.
Who was your favourite
teacher and why?
My Geography teacher, Mr Smiley, was
my favourite teacher. He was fun and
down to earth, he knew how to joke
with the kids and also when to draw
the line. I know I paid attention in his
class because of his approach towards
his students. He was a practical joker
and his personality made it easy
to engage in his lessons. When an
Educator allows their personality to
shine through, It makes it easy to build
rapport with their students. Students
are humans too, and they would
appreciate your human side.
What led you to your current
career/ business?
I wanted to be an actor initially, but
my inner voice hindered me from
pursuing it. I was too scared of failure
and rejection. So I took a different
route as a motivational speaker.
I remembered seeing a speaker
on stage, he was charismatic and
inspirational. His message resonated
with me, It was at that point, I
decided to become a speaker who
entertains and educates.
At that
time I caught the entrepreneurial
bug, that was when I started running
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Term 2 Jan - Mar 2020
After the Bell