MEET opemipo - THE ‘WOMEN IN AQUACULTURE’ SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT FROM nigeria

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Oyabadejo Opemipo Augustina. I am 22 years old and the second daughter in a family of seven. I am from a town called Badagry in the state of Lagos within Nigeria, and I am currently rounding out my first degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.

Being an optimistic person, I have a great passion for humanitarian, selfless services, community development work, and sports such as taekwondo, as well as board games like Monopoly and Scrabble. Through public speaking and outreach, I enjoy making people aware of their aquatic surroundings for proper management and sustainable utilization of its resources for better livelihoods.

What are you focused on studying?

I intend to focus on sustainable aquaculture in my Masters degree in order to be able to explore the aquaculture potential in my country, increase fish production, and ensure its sustainability.

How do you feel about winning our Africa scholarship and what does it mean to you in terms of supporting women in the aquaculture industry?

Winning the scholarship has boosted my self confidence and belief that I can make a big change in the aquaculture industry and inspire other women through conferences, seminars, and local trainings. This has been a confirmation that hard work pays off, and with enough effort and goodwill, I and every other woman can and will make a difference in aquaculture by participating in the value chain and the aquaculture system.

What are you looking forward to most about your summer internship on our farm?

I am looking forward to sharing and acquiring more knowledge about the aquaculture system on Kvaroy Island and the feed formulation technology. Also, I’m excited to connect with people and experience a different culture and environment.

How do you see this scholarship supporting your career overall?

With this scholarship, I am able to take the next step in acquiring more knowledge towards establishing a successful aquaculture industry that would be open to all women for training and support.

Congratulations, again! Any other thoughts that you'd love to share with our community?

Being born into a non-wealthy family, I have been unable to get sufficient funding necessary for proper and well-established education systems that would empower me with the necessary tools to attain my life goal of being a professional in the aquaculture field.

Nevertheless, with this scholarship, I am empowered to make a bold and progressive step in getting good tutoring and the opportunity to carry out necessary research to attain my career goals.

This is very important to me because I believe that before I can make a difference, I need to be the difference by continuously building myself and both acquiring and creating knowledge to share.