Oh my goodness, Darling,
Yesterday was a dream.
I attended a joint workshop sponsored by the Carnegie Fellowship, where the Sociology departments of the University of Virginia and my very own University of Lagos collaborated.
Gosh. It was incredible, and I want to share 10 things I learned, not just from the presentations, but from being in the room. We’ll start with 5 today. The next blog will cover the remaining 5.
Meanwhile, I run a buzzing email community where I send out emails twice a week, sharing other aspects of my life. Join us here
Ok, 5 things I learned from the workshop:
1. Profs, doctors, PhD students… they’re just people like you and me.
At first, I was a little intimidated. I mean, there I was, five months into my research journey, sitting in a room like that? I wanted to just close mouth and hide in one corner.
But the Holy Spirit would have NONE of that.
He had readied me well, and when it was time for my introduction, I spoke confidently, calmly, and eloquently. I looked people squarely in the eye and boldly explained my work, literally saving the children from the junk pandemic and global health crisis.
I was so proud of me
2. My HOD is actually really cool.
Prof Michael Kunnuji, our Gen Z Prof, teaches us a course, but I’d only had two classes with him and no real one-on-one engagement.
After the workshop, which he co-facilitated, I had questions. He listened to me so patiently and answered them thoughtfully.
I followed up with a detailed thank-you message and shared my thoughts on the event. His response? Just as thoughtful.
I’ve got more to say about him, but time no dey…
3. I led a PhD team and shone bright!
In our breakout session, we had to discuss how to approach a hypothetical research case. The case was giving ‘Chibok girls’, and I ended up as the main speaker for our group.
Everyone else was either a PhD or associate lecturer. Me? I’m just doing my MSc. But I shone bright, and they all unanimously chose me to represent us.
God has really helped my confidence ooo!
4. Scholars can disagree beautifully.
I watched colleagues respectfully but firmly disagree on something. The honor, restraint, and mutual respect were beautiful to witness.
Of course, our JESUS IS LORD group chat had thoughts, as always. LOL.
5. Ethics is no joke!
Honestly, the layers of approval you need for even “simple” research? It’s a lot.
And when people started sharing field complications that threw off their whole plans? Whew!
Of course, I enjoyed the session, it got me thinking deeply about potential ethical issues that may arise in my own fieldwork.
I shared more about my topic here
That’s it for now. I’ll be back with points 6 to 10 in the next post.
Quick sidebar: My friend Onella and I planned to hit the library afterward, but the workshop ran long. So instead, Precious (my group partner for our Theory class) and I sat and fleshed out our group work.
We spent an extra hour getting the skeleton done, assigning parts, and we’re thankful the lecturer extended the deadline by a week; he just got married and is in a good mood.
The topic?
World Systems Theory, U.S. Hegemony, and Terrorism in the West African Subregion
Course: SOC 802 – Contemporary Theoretical Models
Not the most exciting topic for me, but God is helping us find joy and small wins in it.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s makeup class with Prof Kunnuji (the workshop clashed with our usual class), and the assignment he gave us? Phew!
We love the man, but this thing where we always have to present one thing or another? Hmm…
In my next blog, I’ll share more, including gist about my exam next week (yes, imagine LOL).
Hugs and love,
Eziaha
P.S
I started this blog post series about my Journey to a PhD on July 1st. You can catch up on all the gist here
All the topics you’ve shared are making my head swim. For people returning to school after a long break, Confidence is key. Proud of you Captain, the PHd is done.