It has been exactly a year since I became a student Ambassador at Genesys Tech hub and Lead, Genesys Campus Club Unizik.
It has been a journey of development, lessons, networking, disappointments and all but it is worth it.
Genesys campus club is a community of students on campus who are interested in tech and come together to learn and help each other grow. The club is an initiative of Genesys Tech Hub to help students gain tech skills free of charge. The club exists in 4 universities in the south-east of Nigeria.
Before the club
I was just a regular computer science student who was learning tech skills to stay relevant in the society though I was part of some tech communities as just a member.
The Club
It has been an amazing year with lots of lessons learned and experience gained. It is not my first time of being in a leadership position but it is my first time of leading a tech community. The journey started with a fully funded trip by Genesys tech hub to their head office at Enugu for a two day seminar, to give us a hang of the Genesys cultures and values.
After the seminar we went back to our schools to get the work started. I and my colleague Ilechukwu ThankGod were to head the club in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (Unizik). And since then the ride hasn’t been a smooth one but I am ever grateful for it. The club has over 200 members and counting. Since its inception we have successfully organized study jams, seminars, practical sessions and virtual sessions. We have also encouraged students who are building solutions with cash prizes. We also assigned mentors to students who needs help with understanding what they are learning.
The pains.
Getting the numbers at first was quite a daunting task. We started preaching the Genesys Gospel to students in my department first. Most of them didn’t see reason to join the club because they think that they are already masters in their field. With time we took to different departments in school especially those that are non-technical. To get the numbers we provided snacks at all our events sponsored by the hub and trust students they will come and we made sure we gave out values at each of our events. There was always something new to learn or discuss about.
Forming a team was another hard nut to crack. We were already taught the importance of having a team in our club. As people started to join us we decided to form a team from them. We got people who showed interest and people who were available to join us. But the first team failed because though they came for the club meetings but they didn’t believe in the dream. After that we worked with a few people who were ready to give their time and ex-learnable interns who had experience and also believed in the vision.
Learnable is a paid internship program by Genesys Tech Hub for students in the university and fresh graduates where they are taught software development and design for a period of 6 months.
Gaining traction: It was a new club and had not gained ground in the school. So it was really hard to use some of the school properties like the software lab and the classrooms since the club is not yet registered in school and had no staff adviser. After a series of disappointments from those in charge of the school facilities we decided to get a lecturer who would not only help us with the necessary backing but would also advise us.
Genesys campus club is the only tech community in school that is currently sponsored by a company outside school. And being its debut we had to start building from the ground up. Thanks to @genesystechub for providing the resources and support needed.
Gains
Although we were taught what it means to lead a community and how to work with a team, the experience I got from leading the club and working with a team is surely a valuable one. I learnt how to accommodate people and their opinion. Patience they say is a virtue. Truly it is, taking time to teach people who are from non technical backgrounds has taught me that the learning process truly differs from persons. Some people learn fast while some do not.
I have gained access to mentoring which ordinarily I wouldn’t. I have seen tech beyond the school walls. I am also a member of a super supportive community @genesystechhub. The importance of tech communities is enormous.
I also saw the beauty of learning together. It makes learning fun. I have learnt from junior and senior devs in the community. Truly we can learn from anybody, Everybody has something to bring to the table.
I’ve made amazing friends outside the code. The knowledge I gained this past year is more than all I had two years ago.
Moving forward
I am excited about the plans we have for the club. It is not easy for students who are from non-technical backgrounds to transition into tech, we intend to make that transition easier by providing them with adequate support. And we advocate for more female students to get involved in tech.
Truly, it has not been easy this past year but thanks to God that we are making progress.
Where there is a will there’s a way
Special thanks to God for his grace. I am also grateful to the team at Genesys tech hub especially %[twitter.com/UkeJerry] Jerry Uke for impacting the lives of students through the club. I also want to appreciate my colleague ThankGod Ilechukwu who has been running the club with me. And to my awesome team you guys are the MVPs.
#weAreGenesys
Genesystechhub
