"I am not sure how my life would have turned out if I hadn't stopped to listen to those two guys during the townstorming in 2017."- Emeka Okonkwo, Alumnus

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"I am not sure how life would have turned out if I had not stopped to listen to those two guys during the town-storming in 2017."

Emeka Okonkwo heard about the WAVE training in 2017 and joined Batch 5.9. At the time, he had just finished his secondary school certificate and was taking computer literacy lessons while waiting to gain admission to university.

When he first heard about WAVE through a town storming exercise, he was intrigued by the opportunity to gain practical skills and potentially secure a job. "I needed a job while waiting for university admission, and I was also excited to gain as much knowledge as possible.”

For him, the training experience was both challenging and rewarding: "Having to wake up early from Monday to Saturday and be at the training center by 8 a.m. was a challenge. I am not a morning person, so that was a struggle."

However, the quality of the learning experience made it worthwhile. "I loved the curriculum, and my trainers were phenomenal instructors.”

After the training, Emeka interned with WAVE for about five months and eventually got a job. "The first job I applied for was a customer service representative role, but I didn’t get it because I didn’t have a B.Sc., which was a core requirement. However, I was later invited for another interview at Smoothie Express for a similar role. Despite also requiring a B.Sc., I managed to impress the owners and was offered the job.”

Today, Emeka works as a Program Manager at Kibo School of Technology, and the skills he learned at WAVE, such as communication and managing expectations, have been invaluable in his remote role, where he often works across different time zones. "We rely heavily on strong written communication, and the ability to manage expectations is key to moving the needle at the organization.”

Emeka looks back on his WAVE experience with deep appreciation: "I am not sure how life would have turned out if I had not stopped to listen to those two guys during the town-storming back in 2017. That single event is one of the biggest reasons I am where I am today! I am excited to see more people becoming leaders in their workplaces and industries."

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