Breaking Down Walls
Kanayo Phoebe
She was about 14 years old
when Kanayo realised the
importance of her GCSE’s.
Despite being predicted
grades that were much
lower, she continued and
worked hard throughout
the year to achieve
her full potential.
Dike-Oduah
Growing up in today’s society where there
are so many distractions can be a challenge,
but the prediction that she would get low
grades was enough for the then year 10,
age 14 years old to buckle down and fully
concentrate on her GCSE’s.
The end result was ten A’s and one B in
subjects ranging from English Literature to
Business Studies, Maths and Psychology.
Taking authority, she says between now and
five years time she wants to complete her
PHD and work towards creating a school of
psychology in Nigeria. Not bad for someone
who says she never had a clear idea of
what she wanted to do in the future.
“I remember wanting to be a fashion
designer, a teacher, a lawyer, doctor and
then I finally settled with psychology, which
I study at the University of Surrey,” says
Kanayo. “Choosing an ambition or setting
career goals is not an easy thing for anyone,
especially when you’re young with a mind
buzzing with ideas.”
For her, keeping one’s feet on the ground
was vital. “Make sure that the goal is
somewhat attainable and realistic and
surround yourself with people who will
encourage you.”
She took time to speak her to elders,
received advice from credible sources
and lastly listened to herself. “I adhered
to what my brain was great at, which was
psychology. I didn’t force myself to do a
subject that I ‘thought’ I should do, or
because everyone else is doing it. I did
what I want to do, no mixed messages,
no confusion.”
Kanayo believes that it’s extremely important
for people to have ‘real life proximal’ role
models. “I stress ‘real life’ because many
people see celebrities as their role model,
but the truth is they do not know the ins
and outs of that persons life, the mistakes
they’ve made etc. they only know what
the media tells them, and we all know how
subjective the media can be!“
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She maintains that real life role models are
individuals that one can speak to, learn from,
essentially be mentored by. “Role models,
give you a tangible end result that you can
aspire to achieve. They show that whatever
you aspire to do ‘can be done’ because
someone has done it. Role models save you
making silly mistakes. “
She regards her mum as being a constant
role model for her. “Her drive and determination throughout everything challenged me to
adopt her ‘joy through it all’ mindset which
has seen me through the toughest times,”
Kanayo says proudly. “She has been a great
encourager, and the number one supporter
of my dreams. She always says “whatever
you do Kanayo, do it with excellence’. Her
support has been priceless!”
In 2013, Kanayo went to China for a month
for an internship, and whenever she is asked
about her trip she just cannot answer with
one simple sentence!
“Whenever I’m asked ‘How was China?’, it’s
a question that I feel terrible for answering
with just a few words because to be quite
honest, one sentence and a few pictures
cannot qualify my experience.
It all began before I left for Beijing at
Heathrow airport. It started with the
unforgettable support I received financially
from all those who donated to fund my one
month trip. A total of £2,685 was donated,
way above my target of £1,500. A massive
thank you to everyone who supported me,
especially my late cousin Ify who told me
I would go to China!
China is great…great in everything –
demographically, sky scrapers, technology
and the list goes on. China was culturally
challenging, in terms of living there as a foreigner or ‘alien’ as they call us. It was hard
being different. People will stop, stare at you
in awe and take pictures which admittedly
was flattering at times! I guess I assumed
or expected that for a country that is so in
touch with the whole world through