Bells University of Technology, Ota organized the 2nd edition of the Bells Ideal Graduate (BIG) Summit, an impact training seminar which was targeted at graduating students to empower and inspire them to become change makers and positive influencers. The training was held between Friday 15th and Saturday 16th July, 2022 at the BUPF International Conference Centre, Bells University of Technology, Ota. The theme for the Summit was, ‘Empowered for Global Impact’.
Facilitators at the event were the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jeremiah Ojediran, RE (COREN) MNSE, Miss Omotayo Ogunbiyi, Mr. Femi Bolaji, Mr. David Alozie and Mrs. Mariam David A. The speakers charged the Graduating Class of 2022 to be the best they could be while also sharing real life experiences with them.
The University Librarian, Dr. Felicia Yusuf gave the Welcome Address and set the tone for the 2-day event by defining the essence of BIG Summit. To emphasize the importance of the Summit, she quoted Myles Munroe, who stated that ‘when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable’. This was aimed at sparking the interest of the graduating students on the importance and necessity of the summit.
She further accentuated that BIG is strategically designed to equip the students to become total graduates with functional skills and orientation to step into higher levels of responsibility at their workplaces, family and the lager society after graduation. According to her, BIG is an intentional approach to promote and institutionalize leadership development.
The Vice-Chancellor delivered the first lecture titled, ‘Empowered for Global Impact’. He delved into the relevance of the theme of the Summit. In the prologue of his presentation, he openly disclosed that he envied the final year students for the rare privilege to get adequate preparation before facing the reality of life after graduation. According to him, such privilege was not available to him when he graduated so many years ago.
He charged the students to maximize the opportunity as leverages for them to excel in their endeavors after graduation. He affirmed his confidence that the students would acquire life applicable skills that would prepare them to add value to the system. He further charged them to be (1) positive (2) ready to do the impossible (3) prepared to triumph over trials.
The Vice-Chancellor posed a rhetorical question at the graduating students, ‘how ready are you to make impact on the global platform?’ The essence of the question was to establish the need to manage time and be prepared to move at the fast pace at which the world is moving.. The world beyond the four walls of the University is demanding and not designed for lazy minds, grumblers and negative people. He pointed out that as graduates of Bells University of Technology, their immediate community and the world at large have great expectations on them. They should therefore do their best not to let them down through indiscipline and uncultured behaviors. He concluded by saying that the world needed solution providers, hence they should be rightly positioned to meet the needs that would also place them on the global scene and make them relevant.
Miss Omotayo Ogunbiyi the second speaker titled her speech ‘Preparing for NYSC’. She affirmed that change is not easy but it is very essential for growth. She said NYSC is a training ground for the youth to chart a path for their future. Her lecture was divided into three: pre-camp, camp and post-camp. She also shared her experiences at the Jigawa State NYSC camp and how she was able to cope. She encouraged the students to be focused, resilient and determined.
The third speaker was Mr. Femi Bolaji and the title of his speech was ‘Building an Entrepreneurship Mindset’. He started by stating that money is very important and education would make an individual a better money handler. One of his quotes, ‘Your network will determine your net-worth’ was a profound statement which emphasizes the need to create a good association with right people that could help one to build positive wealth on time. He also mentioned that any idea that comes to mind is very important. He concluded by stating that poverty should not be interpreted as humility as there is no humility in not making money as life is all about demand and supply. He advised the students to take responsibility. According to him, ‘the moment you take responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you can change anything in your life’.
The last speakers for the day were Mr. David and Mrs. Mariam David, who both rounded off the events for day 1. The title of their presentation was ‘Personal Branding’. They both did justice to the topic and also gave insights into how personal branding influences a whole lot of things in a person’s life sojourn.
Day 2 – was kick started by Mrs. Juliet Andrew, with her presentation titled ‘Overview of employability’. She started by explaining the concept of employability which refers to the ability to gain initial employment, maintain employment and attain new employment if required. She pointed out that employability depended on knowledge, skills, attitude and ability to communicate. She admonished the students not to join the bandwagon creating societal problems but form the group of problem solvers. She thereafter shared some basic guidelines for writing application letters. She noted that many Human Resources Managers get a lot of application letters but only interview a few because of the inability of others to write well-structured cover letters.
She further gave possible interview questions anyone could come across during an interview session. Some of them are as follows:
(1) Why are you interested in this role?
(2) What do you know about the organization?
(3) What is your biggest strength?
She advised the final year students to maintain good work ethics by being punctual, respectful, and always maintaining a good physical appearance. She concluded by saying that nobody arrived at the future he/she did not plan. They were advised to make up their minds to be strategic in planning their lives while embracing every opportunity to grow.
The second and last speaker for day 2 was Dr. A. S. Alabi. His presentation was titled, ‘Employing Strategies for Impact’. He explained what significant impact is and the strong influence it has. To make global impact one must exude confidence. He explained that every graduate is a potential manager and that necessitated them to be strategic in their approach to life and every situation. He advised the final year students to cultivate the spirit of curiosity and creativity. He also advised them to make positive projections for their lives and learn to take risks. Finally he concluded by saying, ‘to make global impact you must have the ability to do something tangible to solve specific problems’.