"I wished to train myself and improve; WAVE offered all these"- Raphael Okonkwo (WAVE Alumnus)

 Alumni impact story- Raphael Okonkwo

Raphael is an interesting young man, vibrant and willing tolearn. He stretches himself beyond his abilities and strives to move beyondlimitations. Raphael had just completedhis secondary school education and he was going through a computer literacytraining when he heard about WAVE. Since he aspires to be a television host anda presenter, he searched for employment opportunities in that field, but no onewas ready to employ him because he did not have the required academic qualifications. Inother words, the major constraint for him was his level of education.Therefore, he resolved to working hard in a similar field in order to save enough to getthe necessary degree or qualification for his dream and also “augment familyexpenses.”

Raphael heard about WAVE through town - storming; an outreachactivity where WAVE is evangelized in different neighborhoods. The programattracted Raphael and he proceeded to researching WAVE online. “I hadresearched about WAVE online and also read through their Instagram handle; WAVEpossessed all I needed because not only did I just need a job, I also wished totrain myself to improve my conventionality and WAVE offered all of these”.Additionally, Raphael expected that after the training, he would not only haveenough savings to execute his educational plan, but that he wouldhave become a better person with a wider scope of knowledge.

Raphael trained at the academy in Yaba and shadowed at Nylah’scatering, Yaba as a kitchen assistant. Even though Raphael has never really hadan interest in kitchen matters, he was dutiful during his shadow program and hepaid attention to necessary details such as kitchen hygiene and behavioralpatterns of outdoor events. The most interesting thing about shadowing at Nylah’scatering for him was that: “I learnt new things and also my colleagues at work;they were really accommodating”. Raphael after his training,  learned to managehis time, manage expectations, solve problems and most importantly, how tocommunicate effectively. These skills that he learned have, however, paid offas he was recently promoted to the position of the Customer Service Manager, at Smoothies Express Limited, where he currently works. He also believes that theseskills are a major part of what he needs to get his dream job. Additionally, heenjoys the fact that he can express himself effectively, socialize and speak topeople with whom he has no physical contact with.

Lastly, Raphael expresses his appreciation tothe WAVE team and the CEO, Misan Rewane. Also, he hopes to be admitted into theuniversity next year to pursue his dreams. He advises job seekers that: “Lifeis not a bed of roses. Do not expect to get a job the minute you apply. Keeptrying and your hard work will surely pay off”.