Today we’d like to introduce you to Ijeoma Ejimadu.
Ijeoma, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I love to start with my experience in Nigeria. I was born in the heart of Houston to immigrant Nigerian parents in the mid-90s and the underlining theme of my life was understanding who I was and where I came from. My parents came from very humble beginnings and had every intention to exhaust the opportunities American had to offer. My first few years of life was spent listening to my parents and grandma’s stories about what life was like back home in Nigeria. A few months after my 7th birthday, we moved to Port Harcourt, and there, we began a new life.
I love to share my experience living in Nigeria because it is a huge part of who I am. Despite the initial culture shock and adjusting to a new environment, I left very connected to my roots and got a glimpse of the life my parents only described to me in their stories. Moving to Nigeria was a pivotal time in my life and I continue to cherish that experience till today.
In that experience, I understood the true meaning of hard work and perseverance. During the summer and Christmas break, we always traveled to the village, the birthplaces of my parents. My grandmother never missed an opportunity to share folklores under the stars, farming, Omenala (cultural practices), bargaining at the marketplace and making local ingredients from scratch. She always made sure we took pride in our roots and these experiences framed our work ethic and resilience at such a young age.
In addition, I had a great education while I lived in Nigeria. Despite what media says about our educational system, from my experience, Nigerian schools are accelerated and teach you the life skills you need. After six long years, I moved back to the United States to start the 10th grade at the age of 13. By this time, I was well ahead of my class on most of the courses I took. Moving back to the states just reminded me of what a blessing it was to have experienced Nigeria for myself.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My advice to young ladies is “dream BIGGER!” and “don’t be too hard on yourself.” The opportunities in this world are endless. Do not be if your ideas seem bigger than you. God has already revealed that dream to you and it is your responsibility to carry it out. Remember that if you work for your dreams, it will come true. And if what you are looking for does not exist, CREATE it!
The second part of my advice comes from personal strength and weakness. I have always had a go-getter mindset and high expectations of myself. While it has worked in my favor many times, I had to learn how to manage failure when it came. Always take the time to reflect on your successes and opportunities to improve and not dwell on the failure. It happened, you learned from it, move on and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
From 9 to 5, I am a process engineer for an oil and gas company, Chevron. But from 5 to 9, I am a women empowerment blogger. I am the founder and creator of Ivery Arie: The Contemporary African Woman, a platform dedicated to sharing the unique stories of the African women. Inspired by the phenomenal women I was surrounded by during the major transitions of my life and my experience in Nigeria, I created a space for African women to share their experiences and learn from one another. I currently manage a team of ten writers scattered throughout the nation and we work hard to share content that is relevant to our readers.
Ivery Arie Her Tribe is our non-profit arm that is dedicated to hosting live events to help women live their best lives. We cover topics and workshops in the aspects of business/careers, culture and self-development. Her Tribe will be coming to Dallas TX on April 27th, 2019. Check out our social media pages (IG @iveryarie) to find out more information on the event.
Our African cultures, backgrounds, and experiences make us unique. What really sets Ivery Arie apart is the many voices and authentic experiences we bring to the blog weekly.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
When I think about the things that discourage women from pursuing leadership positions, the need for resources and role models come to mind. For many women, it is hard to visualize pursuing a leadership position due to the plain fact that you don’t see anyone else like you. While our gender bias and stereotypes play a very large role in this topic, there are very limited resources for women, particularly minorities, to pursue leadership roles. To increase our presence in leadership, experienced women need to mentor aspiring female leaders. By building a sisterhood, it can serve as a huge resource for advice and encourage diversity in our leadership teams across industries.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iveryarie.com
- Email: iveryarie@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/iveryarie
Image Credit:
Adebisi
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