My Experience Leading a Google Students’ Community
Talent is universal but opportunities are not. We all know that in a continent like Africa there are a lot of challenges to overcome if one would ever become successful. Normally, being successful is tough but few people would ever agree that being an African makes it tougher. Overcoming these steep limits has become easier especially with the advent of technology. You can be on the continent and serve your expertise to the world at scale. Joining a Community is one of the ways to build connections at a global scale. First off I would start by sharing how I became a google students’ club lead and valuable lessons I learnt from an amazing year of service.
On Becoming a Lead
In 2018 we had a Lead, Ebuka Umeh. He was doing his M.Sc and I had coincidentally stumbled into the first major community meeting then on “Machine Learning”. After that period there was not a lot going on in the community but I indicated so much interest in being a part of helping the community to grow. When the next round of leads selection started for 2019, Ebuka reached out to me. I applied but somehow I guess I either didn’t meet the criteria or could not submit all the relevant documents, as a result throughout 2019 we did not have any community on my campus and even what had started in 2018 did not gain enough traction yet. The unfortunate experience became a blessing too, it opened me up to my incompetence and the need to build, so in 2019 I started a small group for people in the Faculty of Engineering who really wanted to start a career in programming. In 2020, Ebuka reached out to me again to try one more time. I was so reluctant, but I tried my shot and voila!!! I became a Lead. (Ebuka is currently a Software Engineer based in Lagos).
Building from Scratch
This is not to discount other google student communities, but I feel like unestablished community leads have a lot of gold mine in their hands. Becoming a first time lead or Lead of a young GDSC can be daunting but trust me it gives you even more opportunities to build your leadership, collaborative and problem-solving acumen to peak levels. Remember, light shines brighter in darkness. That was my situation in 2020. Having the responsibility of building a community basically from scratch, building a team, building our social media presence and coupled with Covid. But overall it was worth it. I really appreciate Tolu Ademiluyi, Peace Ewor, Gabriel Esu and Lawrence Ibinabo for being an amazing core team. Having a core team really simplifies work. (Fortunately, Peace Ewor succeeded me as Lead of GDSC, RSU).
We were able to host the various online events and one physical meetup after the lockdown gave us a little window. Collaboration is another skill that helped; It was daunting at first to reach out from my comfort zone and connect with people. But GDSC forced me to do so. I connected with Accelerate Hub(a tech hub on my Campus), led by Louis Whyte and they made my work even easier by feeding me with the information I needed per time. I wouldn’t also forget to mention Harvoxx Tech Hub, Stewart Ezekiel is really an amazing soul with his Team, we worked with them to really gain traction for the community.
Breaking Things and Learning Fast
Reverse Engineering is the process of breaking down a system to understand how it works with a goal to be able to recreate it. Remember I said we had a gap and I basically was starting from scratch. So our first event was virtual and I reached out to Miri Nudelman a BI developer and Ex-GDSC Lead at Shenkar, College of Engineering, Design and Art, Israel. It was my first time doing a major virtual event and I had no idea of tools to use to make it successful. Miri was so patient with me. I got to learn about stream yard and so our first event was streamed on our Facebook page because I really wanted us to gain the attention of more people from my University Group and we gained over 500 views in a week (It was not very perfect but I learnt so much going forward — here is a link to the event). Subsequent events were on Google Meets. It was not perfect but I learnt. Each failure became a tool to do better.
Continually evolve. Have a Team mindset and think collaboratively. One thing is sure, there are days you would feel incompetent and unsure of yourself but the entire community would always feel like you know what to do next. The solution is to conquer self-doubt and be open to newness, discuss with your team and you might be surprised at the amazing ideas. Covid really revolutionized how we connect as a society, so accept disruption — there is no normalcy in being a GDSC Lead, you’re now a superhero and your community is counting on you to save the day. Make good use of the opportunity and shine on!!!
Little Wins and Opportunities
Yeah!!! We had some wins too. First of all, we were able to establish the community to get recognized on Campus and collaborate with some stakeholders in the space. We also won a tech quiz against another community and of course, it came with a cash prize. We established our media presence from point zero to an appreciable level. Our membership grew too. I wish to see GDSC do really cool and amazing stuff on campus beyond where I stopped.
Personally, GDSC stretched me and I can never return to who I used to be but rather I have had an immense community to connect with other Leads who served with me from across Sub-Saharan Africa. I got to connect with Aniedi Udobong, Google Community Program Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa. I also connected with Auwal Samu our Elder brother and GDSC Program Manager, SSA. I would not also leave out Erica Hanson, GDSC Global Program Lead. The last year has been a roller coaster and if I could relive it again, I’ll do it countless times.
Personal Wins and Moving Forward
Personally, there have been immense changes in my Life and so much Growth. Currently, I am the Chapter President for Blacks in Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Leading GDSC made the transition smooth. I also picked up Blockchain Development as a skill to expand on in addition to my web development skillset. Fast Forward to my moment of writing I work with the African Blockchain Centre for Developers as a Community & Communication Manager. Being the Google Students Developers Club Lead for Rivers State University, Port Harcourt Nigeria has given me access to speak and connect with people that I hitherto would never have had the privilege to connect with.
On the Academic spectrum, I successfully completed my B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from my Alma Mata. One day my father asked me what I gained from Leading a Google Students Community since I was not being paid to do so. My answer was simple — “Dad, I am nameless and faceless and this is an opportunity to leverage on an existing reputation to build for the future”, that was the last time I got that question. Ever since then my Dad kept asking how my community engagement was going.
In Conclusion
The world is not always rainbows and sunshine. There would be ups and downs just like our heartbeat. But it is the balance between these variables that really makes life fulfilling. The future is full of immense opportunities and I am just getting started. Thank you GDSC, thank your Rivers State University, Thank you to my core team, thank you to fellow leads of the 2020/21 set. We Move!!!
To join the African Blockchain Centre for Developers on Twitter: Here
Let's Connect on Twitter: Here
