Written by Fadeke Banjo.
Hey lovely people it’s been more than a minute since I’ve written a blog post on here and there is quite a lot to catch up on. If I’m being quite honest I’ve been very bad at being consistent with writing in particular for myself, I’ve written articles for other publications but I want to come back to one of my first loves and that is this blog right here. So bear with me as I crawl back into this space which probably has some hidden spider webs with how empty it’s been with no new content lol. ANYWAY.... enough of the sad story, this blog post will be focusing on my 2nd graduation, it will be exactly one month next month (i graduated in May but I’m not sure when this blog will be posted lol) since I graduated as a journalism masters student from the Birkbeck University of London. May the 3rd your sis Graduated with her Masters in Journalism, I’m a two-degree holder, can I get an AMEN!!
Thank you JESUS! Making it to this point is a testimony & answered prayer. This day was something I prayed for and I held on to faith and God’s promises even when I wanted to throw in the towel there was God, my family, and friends cheering me on to continue. It was both a miracle, a test of faith, patience, a lot of hard work & determination. I’m glad I took that leap of faith because I’m already seeing it pay off by God’s grace 🙏🏾. I get to pursue something I’m really passionate about, storytelling, being creative, interviewing interesting people, informing people about important topics, and doing this all as a career! Wow 🤩
I will be honest It’s scary letting go and letting God but I’ve realized I don’t have all the answers and that’s okay, I believe in the God that can see the end from the beginning and does indeed have a future for me. So I try to hold on to that every day. I didn’t think I would be doing a journalism master's after my undergraduate degree in Public Health, let alone changing career paths during a Global pandemic but here we are. Surprisingly I did really enjoy studying journalism despite doing it All Online. Now that I have two degrees I’m I going to do A Ph.D. or another degree? well ermm... it’s a No for me right now, however, if God leads me otherwise and I also feel like studying one more time, then who knows, but for now, I’m content with my two degrees and moving on to the next stage of my life as an “ADULT” navigating the job market and journalism industry.
Are you studying again?... Girl bye! It didn’t hit that I was going to be graduating again until the day before my master's graduation. I had a moment with God, reflecting on my journalism master’s journey and before I knew it I burst into tears because it finally became so REAL to me, I realized that God was and is FAITHFUL and that it was all worth it in the end. I took the moment to thank God and to just reflect on how far I’ve come. Completing my journalism master's wasn’t an easy journey but it was worth it.
Visual representation of how I was feeling the night before my graduation. The whole experience of preparing for my graduation was so much fun, my mum helped with the outfit, and the shoes, and she even did my press-on nail set for me. Getting to the university was also a fun/ interesting experience as I didn’t get the opportunity to attend the Birkbeck University of London in person during my studies as well Miss Covid-19 & the UK lockdown kind of spoilt the experience you see ( I had to do my journalism masters course All Online and at home). However, I must say the venue for the graduation ceremony was beautiful and great for Instagram photos which of course I ended up (well my mum was my personal photographer for the day) taking loads of photos on the day, looking absolutely stunning of course.
Looking pretty in pink! Moreover, it was nice to celebrate this special occasion with my mum, not only has she been there during my first graduation but she continues to be my N.01 fan and this special moment was as much a BIG DEAL for me as it was for her. Seeing her daughter walk across the stage and graduate was definitely a proud parent moment for her and I love that for her.
This was my mum on the day. She was my personal photographer and videographer for the day! Creativity just runs in the family I guess :) I also enjoyed seeing some of my coursemates during the graduation who again I didn’t get to meet in person prior to the graduation due to the pandemic and UK lockdowns, it was lovely to share this special day with them too. Another thing I enjoyed about my graduation was the University getting my Nigerian first name correct during my graduation, well... close enough, they definitely did a better job than my previous graduation (yes I know there is some shade being thrown). Interestingly enough it was during my time applying for my master's in Journalism that I decided that I wanted to be addressed as my first name, my Nigerian name Olufadeke or just Fadeke during my studies (and eventually in the workplace) instead of my middle name Florence. I say this to say that it meant a lot when the university staff who was calling out the names on the day made the effort to pronounce my name correctly or at least close enough. I know my fellow Africans as well as those with unique names can relate to this. I also had the opportunity to be interviewed by the media team at the Birkbeck University of London, I felt like a celebrity on that day, an exclusive interview you know! that lasted only a few minutes lol, but I guess that was my 15 minutes of fame right???
Now here are two things I didn’t like during my graduation. Number 1 , one of the speeches on the day was a bit too long but perhaps my short attention span got the better of me on that day in addition to it being hot on the day. Although the speech was thought-provoking, I wanted to graduate lol. And the 2nd thing was wearing heels on the day, although I first wore my trousers and had them on stand-by, I decided I wanted to feel like a GROWN- Up lol, and try wearing heels a chance again. Bear in mind It’s been a long since I’ve worn heels for a long period of time, in particular walking with heels for a long time. My feet felt like they were on FIRE (I'm exaggerating but they did hurt after a while). Did I take them off after the graduation ceremony and quickly change into my trainers, Yes!!!
Overall I loved my journalism master's graduation and the overall experience of studying and completing my degree. I learned a lot and I gained a lot from the experience and I’m grateful to God for that chapter in my life and the amazing opportunities that I’ve come out of it. I truly believe I’m walking in my passion as a young journalist navigating this ever-changing industry as well as navigating adulthood which well... let’s just say I’m getting there okay!!
Visual representation of walking into the working world like I know what I'm doing.
Well, look at you? You made it to the end of this blog post, you better give yourself a pat on the back because boy do I know I can find it hard to get to the POINT at times, but in all seriousness, I really do hope this blog post encourages someone out there to keep having hope and to keep on going because you never know what could happen.
Love, Fadeke/Flo from the flo journal blog.
Bye!