Its been a long time since we had a YIC on the blog and we apologize, it has be difficult finding young people whose stories we could share. It only fitting that we give you an interesting YIC for today.
Our Young Person Of the week, is a young woman who was not afraid to follow her dreams despite the stress of combining it with school. She didn't stop at just loving it she decided to share her dreams with other young ladies and in her own little way, empowering these young ladies. Meet our Young Person of the Week, Ginika Okoli. Happy reading.
My name is Ginika Catherine Okolie, I hail from Uli in Ihiala local government in Anambra state. I'm the last child in a family of six. I'm a makeup artist, who has a lot of passion for the art. I love beauty and creativity. This was my biggest source of inspiration and motivation towards becoming a makeup artist.
What was growing up like? What was it like growing up with older siblings?
I must say growing up was a lot easier for me compared to adulthood because virtually everything was taken care of by my siblings. My life was less complicated because my worries centered on my homework and the “left over” chores I was made to do in the house. My life revolved around my family and friends in the neighborhood.
I must commend my parent's effort towards bringing us up and ensuring that we acquired the necessary morals and values which we needed to face the society at large. My dad as a disciplinarian sometimes had to force us to bend to certain rules, but now I realize that all that was only part of the upbringing which I appreciate at this stage of my life. Most of what I learnt in life has been drawn out of the experience of my siblings who are all older than me. I believe my mum is the most industrious woman I know because she always has something productive to keep her busy and that directly or indirectly had a major impact on me.
I spent most of my childhood leisure time watching TV programmes which were geared towards empowering young minds. My inspiration usually increased after watching young ladies who became successful at an early stage in life through hard work and perseverance. I always hated reading so I rarely spent time on my books. At a certain stage, I attempted writing stories but I soon realized that that it wasn't fun to me anymore. I really enjoyed my childhood and sometimes, I reminiscence and wish I could re-live it over and over again.
Tell us a little about your educational background?
I had my nursery and primary school education at Immaculate Nursery and Primary school. I started my Junior Secondary school education at Model Secondary school Maitama Abuja before completing my senior school education at Regina Pacis college Garki, Abuja.
I gained admission a year after into University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus to study Accountancy because I felt accountancy was my calling in life but I later realised that my fear and dislike for calculations were bigger than my dreams. I had to come to terms with the fact that accountancy was not for me after my first year in school and I had to change to geography which was fascinating and exciting because of my love for nature. Geography also opened up my mind up to want to ask relevant questions on the science of the earth.
I am a Geography graduate and I have plans to study up to Masters levels.
You went from reading geography to make up artistry, what changed your mind about geography, why the move to make up artistry?
I hope to pursue Geography as a lifetime career. On the other hand, makeup artistry is an art I have a lot of passion for and striking a balance between the two of them is a challenge I face every day. I don't see myself quitting Geography for makeup artistry or Makeup for Geography, so I must do everything within my power to carry the two along.
Where did you train as a makeup artist?
I trained at Mascoteda studio
What has the experience been like mixing your degree in geography with Makeup artistry?
I have always mixed geography with makeup artistry especially in my early years in the University. It wasn't easy combining the two at first, because geography was stressful from field trips, creating maps, Geographic Information System, Statistics and the rest of them, but I didn't let any of that kill my dreams. But one thing I tried not to do was let Makeup Artistry, distract me from the main reason why I was in school.
Most people are happy with just being make up artists, what motivated you to open up a studio and to start training others?
My motivation came from the fact that I'm blessed with the gift of impacting knowledge in people, so I tried not to waste that, bearing in mind that there are many young girls out there who have the same interest in makeup as I do and who only need someone to help them get from the level they are, to another level.
How has the experience been, it must be tasking running a studio and teaching others at the same time?
The experience has been tasking and inspiring at the same time. Tasking in the sense that everyone's assimilation rate is not equal and some people learn slower than others and it is now up to me to double up my patience rate and ensure that everyone is carried along and it is also my duty to understand each of my student individually and know their weaknesses and find out the best possible method to help to make things easier.
On the other hand it has been inspiring because looking at my students when they are working, I get motivated to work harder and it makes me always bear in mind that people are looking up to me and that I have to keep up at no cost.
What is your typical day like?
Talking about my typical day....hmm! On the average, my morning classes start as early as 10am and I usually stay in the studio till 6pm and 7pm in some cases, because sometimes I have customers and clients who go to work and usually cannot make it to the studio till around 5pm/6pm. The days I close early, I have to rush to buy makeup products to replace the finished ones in the studio. It’s basically, busy! busy! all day
What do you love most about what you do?
My joy comes after making a client up and she is filled with smiles and amazed at how she has been transformed. I love the look on the faces of the brides and it gives me joy realizing that i contributed to their self-confidence on their big day.
What are the difficulties involved?
There are lots of challenges involved and I must say the greatest for me is meeting up with the demands of each client and ensuring that at the end of every job I carry out, I leave the client happy and very glad she contacted me for the job and with God by my side I haven't had any cause to worry.
Asides work, what do you do for fun?
I love watching movies, Fashion TV, style network, E! etc. Am really not an outdoor person, probably because I don't really like the crowd. I love fashion and good looks, so I spend most of my leisure time browsing and checking out outfits on magazines.
Have you ever felt like giving up on makeup artistry?
I have never felt like quitting makeup artistry, not for once.
Who or what inspire you?
My family is my major source of inspiration. My sister KC stopps at nothing to ensure that my business grows. My mum has always been there for me, my sisters DR. Cheta and Chinelo, my brothers as well and Chike who has always been there to advise me in difficult times. I owe it all to them.
You have achieved a lot for someone so young, we are all itching to know how old you are?
Thank you very much for that compliment. I am 22 years old.
Where do you see yourself and Radiant Touches and Makeup five years from now?
I see my business growing fast and I believe with God by my side I will go very far. I believe that in five years’ time my Makeup school would have produced very reputable makeup artists and the seminar programmes we organize at the end of every training session would have helped young ladies who are confused about what to venture into.
How do you intend to bring about change in Nigeria in your little way, with what you do?
Nigeria has always been and will continue to be my country and in my own little way, I will continue to inspire young people who I meet at every stage of my life. The training classes is and will remain a way of making young minds become entrepreneurs and that makes it possible that they wouldn't have to keep waiting till they get a paying job before they can make some cash for themselves and family.
The seminar classes are geared towards empowering people and answering their many questions. The seminar classes are not only for makeup artists but generally for everybody who is not certain about what he or she should try out or those who need some form of encouragement and a platform for people to meet other people who might be of help in the future.
What is your advice to young people who wish to follow in your footstep?
My advice to young people is that everyone has been blessed by God with a very special gift and everyone should try and use that gift he or she has to develop their life and help those around them. Many people today are stuck where they are because of the company they keep, until you disassociate yourself from people who directly or indirectly pull you back, you might never progress. Associate with people who have something positive to offer you and who will help you achieve your dreams and then, above all, always put God first in everything and watch him lead you through.
Are there any other hidden talents/passions that we do not know about?
I have flair for good looks. I can say I am a good counselor even though that is only revealed when the need calls for.
Now to our favourite part of the interview, picture time.
I must say growing up was a lot easier for me compared to adulthood because virtually everything was taken care of by my siblings. My life was less complicated because my worries centered on my homework and the “left over” chores I was made to do in the house. My life revolved around my family and friends in the neighborhood.
I must commend my parent's effort towards bringing us up and ensuring that we acquired the necessary morals and values which we needed to face the society at large. My dad as a disciplinarian sometimes had to force us to bend to certain rules, but now I realize that all that was only part of the upbringing which I appreciate at this stage of my life. Most of what I learnt in life has been drawn out of the experience of my siblings who are all older than me. I believe my mum is the most industrious woman I know because she always has something productive to keep her busy and that directly or indirectly had a major impact on me.
I spent most of my childhood leisure time watching TV programmes which were geared towards empowering young minds. My inspiration usually increased after watching young ladies who became successful at an early stage in life through hard work and perseverance. I always hated reading so I rarely spent time on my books. At a certain stage, I attempted writing stories but I soon realized that that it wasn't fun to me anymore. I really enjoyed my childhood and sometimes, I reminiscence and wish I could re-live it over and over again.
Tell us a little about your educational background?
I had my nursery and primary school education at Immaculate Nursery and Primary school. I started my Junior Secondary school education at Model Secondary school Maitama Abuja before completing my senior school education at Regina Pacis college Garki, Abuja.
I gained admission a year after into University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus to study Accountancy because I felt accountancy was my calling in life but I later realised that my fear and dislike for calculations were bigger than my dreams. I had to come to terms with the fact that accountancy was not for me after my first year in school and I had to change to geography which was fascinating and exciting because of my love for nature. Geography also opened up my mind up to want to ask relevant questions on the science of the earth.
I am a Geography graduate and I have plans to study up to Masters levels.
You went from reading geography to make up artistry, what changed your mind about geography, why the move to make up artistry?
I hope to pursue Geography as a lifetime career. On the other hand, makeup artistry is an art I have a lot of passion for and striking a balance between the two of them is a challenge I face every day. I don't see myself quitting Geography for makeup artistry or Makeup for Geography, so I must do everything within my power to carry the two along.
Where did you train as a makeup artist?
I trained at Mascoteda studio
What has the experience been like mixing your degree in geography with Makeup artistry?
I have always mixed geography with makeup artistry especially in my early years in the University. It wasn't easy combining the two at first, because geography was stressful from field trips, creating maps, Geographic Information System, Statistics and the rest of them, but I didn't let any of that kill my dreams. But one thing I tried not to do was let Makeup Artistry, distract me from the main reason why I was in school.
Most people are happy with just being make up artists, what motivated you to open up a studio and to start training others?
My motivation came from the fact that I'm blessed with the gift of impacting knowledge in people, so I tried not to waste that, bearing in mind that there are many young girls out there who have the same interest in makeup as I do and who only need someone to help them get from the level they are, to another level.
How has the experience been, it must be tasking running a studio and teaching others at the same time?
The experience has been tasking and inspiring at the same time. Tasking in the sense that everyone's assimilation rate is not equal and some people learn slower than others and it is now up to me to double up my patience rate and ensure that everyone is carried along and it is also my duty to understand each of my student individually and know their weaknesses and find out the best possible method to help to make things easier.
On the other hand it has been inspiring because looking at my students when they are working, I get motivated to work harder and it makes me always bear in mind that people are looking up to me and that I have to keep up at no cost.
What is your typical day like?
Talking about my typical day....hmm! On the average, my morning classes start as early as 10am and I usually stay in the studio till 6pm and 7pm in some cases, because sometimes I have customers and clients who go to work and usually cannot make it to the studio till around 5pm/6pm. The days I close early, I have to rush to buy makeup products to replace the finished ones in the studio. It’s basically, busy! busy! all day
What do you love most about what you do?
My joy comes after making a client up and she is filled with smiles and amazed at how she has been transformed. I love the look on the faces of the brides and it gives me joy realizing that i contributed to their self-confidence on their big day.
What are the difficulties involved?
There are lots of challenges involved and I must say the greatest for me is meeting up with the demands of each client and ensuring that at the end of every job I carry out, I leave the client happy and very glad she contacted me for the job and with God by my side I haven't had any cause to worry.
Asides work, what do you do for fun?
I love watching movies, Fashion TV, style network, E! etc. Am really not an outdoor person, probably because I don't really like the crowd. I love fashion and good looks, so I spend most of my leisure time browsing and checking out outfits on magazines.
Have you ever felt like giving up on makeup artistry?
I have never felt like quitting makeup artistry, not for once.
Who or what inspire you?
My family is my major source of inspiration. My sister KC stopps at nothing to ensure that my business grows. My mum has always been there for me, my sisters DR. Cheta and Chinelo, my brothers as well and Chike who has always been there to advise me in difficult times. I owe it all to them.
You have achieved a lot for someone so young, we are all itching to know how old you are?
Thank you very much for that compliment. I am 22 years old.
Where do you see yourself and Radiant Touches and Makeup five years from now?
I see my business growing fast and I believe with God by my side I will go very far. I believe that in five years’ time my Makeup school would have produced very reputable makeup artists and the seminar programmes we organize at the end of every training session would have helped young ladies who are confused about what to venture into.
How do you intend to bring about change in Nigeria in your little way, with what you do?
Nigeria has always been and will continue to be my country and in my own little way, I will continue to inspire young people who I meet at every stage of my life. The training classes is and will remain a way of making young minds become entrepreneurs and that makes it possible that they wouldn't have to keep waiting till they get a paying job before they can make some cash for themselves and family.
The seminar classes are geared towards empowering people and answering their many questions. The seminar classes are not only for makeup artists but generally for everybody who is not certain about what he or she should try out or those who need some form of encouragement and a platform for people to meet other people who might be of help in the future.
What is your advice to young people who wish to follow in your footstep?
My advice to young people is that everyone has been blessed by God with a very special gift and everyone should try and use that gift he or she has to develop their life and help those around them. Many people today are stuck where they are because of the company they keep, until you disassociate yourself from people who directly or indirectly pull you back, you might never progress. Associate with people who have something positive to offer you and who will help you achieve your dreams and then, above all, always put God first in everything and watch him lead you through.
Are there any other hidden talents/passions that we do not know about?
I have flair for good looks. I can say I am a good counselor even though that is only revealed when the need calls for.
Now to our favourite part of the interview, picture time.
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contact details
Call: 08165053460
Whatsapp: 08155216969
BBpin; 2ABD143C
EMAIL: radianttouchesmakeup@yahoo.com
Call: 08165053460
Whatsapp: 08155216969
BBpin; 2ABD143C
EMAIL: radianttouchesmakeup@yahoo.com
1 comment:
thats my girl making me proud.....love you sweetie
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