Call Me Ajala

I found this in my drafts—something I wrote three years ago but never posted. I was still in school then, deep in final projects and exams. Now, having graduated and moved on to work, reading this feels very nostalgic and I want to share it with you.

In March 2022, I took a one-week coding class. Mind you, I had never coded before. Each class ran for the full day, and we worked with software like Maya and Visual Studio, coding in C/C++. On the first day, I was completely lost. 😭 The professor, who worked with ZHACODE, the computational design portion of Zaha Hadid Architects in London, kept switching between different software, explaining what we were supposed to do. I didn’t even know what language we were working in! All I saw were lines of code, robots moving, and shapes transforming in videos.

By the second day, things got slightly better—until I realised that the code I was copying WORD FOR WORD from the projector wasn’t working. Who even copies wrongly? I informed the professor, got it fixed, and I figured out subsequent errors on my own. Tech sis activated. 😌

We worked in groups to create models in Maya and even 3D-printed them using a resin printer in the laboratory. Looking back, that experience was honestly a course in patience, problem-solving and getting comfortable with things I knew nothing about.

My semester final research project focused on human rights. We were meant to select from the UN human right articles, research and design a building for the progression of the articles we chose. I chose:
📌 Article 3 – Right to life, liberty, and security
📌 Article 5 – Freedom from torture and degrading treatment
📌 Article 7 – Equality before the law
📌 Article 19 – Freedom of opinion and expression

My project centred on political injustice—a theme informed by Nigeria’s  EndSARs protests in October 2020. After my first presentation, my supervisor advised me to broaden the scope beyond Nigeria, so I refined my idea into A Centre for the Advocacy of Political Injustice, exploring how political injustice violates human rights globally. It highlighted the fact that political injustice was a violation of human rights, and more could be done with legislations, education and advocacy worldwide. 

This project stretched me. I built four models—three in wood (not counting the ones I had to redo), spent a lot on materials, and poured so much into it. My literal blood, sweat and tears went into this project. My professor had a lot of expectations and he supported me every step of the way. I also had incredible support from loved ones who stayed up with me, helped with some deliverables, or simply encouraged me to keep going. Looking back, I’m proud of what I created. If I had to do that studio again, I absolutely would.

Let me know if you want to see the full project!

That spring felt like a fresh start. Winters in Calgary are very extreme, but this one was milder. Still, the real warmth of summer was a welcome change.

And then, just like that, graduation season came. I remember feeling both relieved and grateful. Grateful to God for bringing me through it all. That degree was a journey, and I was so ready to close that chapter.

Now, three years later, I’m in a completely different season of life. But reading this reminds me of that time, the stress, the late nights, the wins, the growth and I am so thankful to God for them.

It’s funny how in the moment, everything feels so intense and full of pressure. Looking back though, those challenges shaped me. I learned resilience, adaptability, and the importance of showing up even when things felt impossible. 

If you could go back to a past version of yourself, still knee-deep in an overwhelming phase of life, what would you tell them?