Hi, I’m Queen — and no, it’s not a nickname! I’m a fresh pharmacy graduate from the University of Lagos, officially inducted into the pharmacy profession just last week.
My tech journey? Well, it began like many others — “There’s money in tech,” they said. Well, who am I not to go where the money is? But truthfully, it was much more than that.
During the lockdown, while many were picking up new hobbies or doing lots of crypto investments, I started learning to code. Why? To avoid being sent to be an apprentice as a tailor or hairdresser.
I still remember writing my first <h1> element and thinking, FAANG, be ready for me! That moment sparked a love for tech that has only grown ever since.
Balancing pharmacy school and tech felt overwhelming at times. I didn’t want my family asking, “Who sent you?” if I failed because I was trying to do too much at once. So, I paced myself, finished school, and now I’m finally ready.
A Few Things About Me
Here are things that I love;
Fantasy novels with epic world-building: (Brandon Sanderson is the GOAT). Every day, I pray that Mr George R.R Martin finally gives us The Winds of Winter, so we can erase whatever season eight of Game of Thrones was.
Taylor Swift and pop culture.
These are my happy places, and I can yap for hours about them.
My Core Values
Reflecting on what defines me, I asked myself: What values do I want to live by? How do I want to see myself? How do I want others to see me? And here’s what I landed on:
Growth
Lately, there’s been a buzzword going around—“lock in”—and it perfectly captures my mindset. Growth is about being better than I was yesterday. It’s about learning, unlearning, and improving every step of the way.
Community
Open source is nothing without community. It’s about belonging, helping others, and being helped in return. The beauty of giving and receiving while working toward shared goals inspires me. I just want to contribute meaningfully and make an impact.
Curiosity
I’m a naturally curious person. I love asking, Why does it work this way and not that way? Curiosity pushes me to dig deeper, be knowledgeable, explore possibilities
Why Outreachy?
Honestly, this isn’t my first attempt at Outreachy. I applied for the May 2023 cohort but didn’t make it to the contribution phase. At the time, I was still a pharmacy student, so I consoled myself with the thought that juggling a demanding course and a full-time internship wasn’t realistic anyway.
When applications for this cohort opened, I knew it was the perfect opportunity. With no school commitments holding me back, I was ready to give it my all.
Contributing to Creative Commons (CC) has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. My project — Consolidating and implementing the vocabulary design system across multiple websites—excites me for several reasons. It’s a solid foundation for my front-end career, allowing me to focus on details, accessibility, and user experience. It’s also my first real opportunity to work with a design system, which I find both challenging and interestingly, fulfilling.
What I’m Working On
For this project, my tasks include:
Identifying features and conflicting patterns across Creative Commons ancillary websites.
Developing a migration plan
Implementing features locally and adding them to the design system if needed.
…and there’s so much more. I’ll be blogging about the whole process, so if you want the exclusive details, you’ll have to come back for them. Sorry, not sorry!
Wrapping Up
Like Dr. Taylor Swift said, “Being fearless isn’t being 100% not fearful. It’s being terrified but you jump anyway.” That’s how I feel about Outreachy—terrified, but ready to jump. I’m excited to see how this internship unfolds, how I grow, and how I contribute to Creative Commons now and in the future.
Do it afraid, folks.
Ciao!