Halima’s Water Solutions (2)
Nolina: Hmmm. So how did you overcome those feelings? How did you navigate that experience?
Halima: On one of those days, I had this epiphany, that I had gotten the scholarship from the same pedestal of the very background I felt was inferior. It was a very revelatory experience for me, because I just remembered how far I had come, and I remembered how much my parents had sacrificed as well for my education. It was a wakeup call for me, because from that day onward, I decided that instead of wallowing, I would be open to learning from anyone and everyone without feeling intimidated.
Nolina: That’s a very powerful experience. It’s also foundational too, because it has certainly contributed to who you have now become.
Halima: Yes, it has. In fact, I like to say that my Master’s program taught me perhaps more about myself than it taught me about biotechnology (Laughs).
Nolina: That’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Now, a couple of years later, you’re a rising star in your industry. What would you say are your top three main lessons so far?
Halima: Hmmm. That’s a tough one- because there are so many lessons from the many challenges (Laughs). But I’ll try to rank them. First, I would say I’ve learned and I still keep learning that it is very important to give yourself time to learn and accept that you’ll make mistakes. If you’re a perfectionist, it’s so easy to put yourself under the weight of the pressure to know it all from the very beginning, but that’s unwise and unrealistic. My second lesson would be that the “Is it my business? Wetin consign me for the matter?” attitude can very easily backfire. Don’t turn a blind eye when you can do something about an issue, no matter how little. And perhaps my third lesson is to never be hasty to judge. People’s views on your reputation or even that of another person can be fickle. Sometimes, people say, “Oh, so and so can never be nice or generous or helpful”. Essentially, they can easily write someone off, only for you to realize on a closer look that the person is nothing like people said. And the flip side can very easily happen- someone who seems to be impeccable to outsiders can have shocking behaviour on a closer look. Don’t be so quick to judge.
Nolina: Wow! Halima, you should go write a book or something.
Halima: (Laughs) My sister, we’ll get there. One day, one day, we’ll get there. For now, I’m just grateful for the opportunity to share my lessons on such a platform as this and pay it forward.
Nolina: Speaking of lessons, how can I forget? You were recently in the news for winning a pitch competition! Care to tell us more about that?
Halima: Yes, of course. I’ll summarize that experience as this: sometimes you try a lot of times and nothing works. But then right before you give up, you decide to try one last time, and that’s when you get the big break. That’s my team’s story of the win. It’s been very fulfilling to be implementing some of our key ideas and we’re very excited about what lies ahead.
Nolina: Amazing. We’re excited too for you. So quick one before we wrap up. This is a question we like to ask our guests. What are your thoughts for the future?
Halima: Hmmm. That’s profound. My first thought is, I would like to give more time and commitment to the advocacy side of my work and help promote early childhood education and accessibility to quality paediatric healthcare services. My second aspiration is related to growth and expansion, for my team and the different projects we’re working on. And my third is just to keep living and making the most of it. As we say, when there’s life, there’s hope.
Nolina: Indeed, there is. And so we’ve come to the end of today’s conversation. Thank you so much for joining us today Halima. It was a genuine pleasure to have you.
Halima: Believe me, the pleasure is all mine. (Smiles)
