From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi

My Journey of Resilience and Hardwork!

At the end of my academic journey, I looked back and realised all that I had experienced was needed.

I graduated with a First Class from the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Benin, Nigeria-West Africa.

From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi

Life, as we say, comes with its challenges. These challenges, however, are to be overcome in order for us to make progress.

In life, there are phases, and to proceed from one to another, a challenge comes in to prepare us for the next phase.

Hence, we would be able to enjoy the new stage, as we have earned it, and be strong enough to deal with the challenge that accompanies the new stage. 

So far, I have had my share of challenges. I am sure we all have also had our own share.

This is because it is a part of life.

I would love to use the phase of my experience at the university as an example to shed more light on struggles,

and how they taught me the importance of hard work and resilience.

Follow this story. From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi

Proverbs 22:29 KJV

[29] Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.

https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.22.29.KJV  

I gained admission into the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria, having sat for my third JAMB examination to study law.

Did I fail the previous years?

No, I did not.

By my maker’s Grace, I was an intelligent student.

But for some unknown reasons, I did not get the admission.

My classmates from secondary school were already moving ahead in this educational journey, I would say to myself.

This was a challenge: not gaining admission despite scoring well. 

Finally, the admission came, but I was admitted into another course of study I had not for once dreamt about: French!

I’m laughing at myself at this point as I recall the details.

“FRENCH?! Ah, I passed naw, why dey con give me French?”

But since I was tired of staying home, I decided to go on with it. At least ‘I go comot for the house.’

Here again, a challenge in my course of study!

I needed to overcome it by changing the course.

Money would be needed to do this immediately. “Chai, where do we see this immediate money?” My parents would ponder.

Another challenge: Money!

The plan eventually was to study the course for a year, then switch to another course, then switch again to law.

‘(Dem say law dey always hard to get if money no dey your hand.)” Or just switch and continue with anything else, not French.

From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi 

Do you see what I am trying to pass across? Each phase comes with its own challenge.

At this moment, I was no longer faced with the challenge of JAMB as I had now gained admission; instead, I was faced with the course of study as a challenge. 

I started to attend classes and realised that another language apart from the French language was being taught.

This is when I understood that my department was called THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, not the French Department.

We were taught the French and the German language simultaneously.

“How person wan take understand French and German at the same time? Wetin be dis naw? Dem no tell us from the beginning, naw?”

I was so lost for the first 25 minutes I spent in my first German class. 

Three weeks into attending lectures, I spoke with my dad, and he asked me this question thrice:

“Desmond, can you do it?”

And I said, “YES.” I said yes. I’m laughing at myself at this point once again.

For some reason, I was gradually loving the course. And I was beginning to see reason in studying it.

Even thogh, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but I said yes.

“Yes, don’t bother about any changing, of course.”

Another challenge here: dealing with this strange course.

I was faced with a language barrier,

because if I did not understand the French and German languages spoken in class, I would have no idea how to understand the topics taught in class for that day.

And I already told my father, YES, I CAN DO IT. Don’t worry yourself. Haaaaa!!! 

With constant studying and practicing of the languages, I began to get a grip on them.

Here comes hard work and resilience.

From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi

See, I have to be honest; I worked hard to understand the languages and understand the course. 

A lot of time went into self-development.

There were times where it seemed very confusing,

but I remembered that I had to be focused, and resilience kicked in again, helping me to keep pushing.

As I continued putting in the work, I started to see progress.

I began to feel a lot confident about the course I was studying, confident that I knew I had put in the work,

confident that I could take on any difficulty thrown to me by the course because I had dealt with its initial difficulties. 

But you know, ‘Naija no easy o. Hand dey meet man. ‘SAPA’ dey hold student o. I did not want ‘SAPA’ to hold me,’

so, I had been combining my education with working as a freelancer in the Graphic Design and Digital Illustration (Art) field.

I was a student and a business guy. You can call it hustler if you want.

Most times, I would suffer from countless power outages in areas I stayed and would have to trek to find a place to charge my laptop so I could work.

 “NEPA do me a strong thing, ehn!”

Having to balance the both of them was a challenge.

I needed to prove to myself that there was a reward for taking my academics and my business seriously.

And I had to devote time to the both of them. 

Also, I was engaged with other responsibilities in the university,

heading or working in different offices of organisations in the university.

Now, I was no longer faced with the language barrier,

but instead I was faced with my course’s demands: it was French language, literature, and history.

I now understood the language, but I had to study the history and literature part of it and write exams.

At the same time, I was faced with business demands, faced with responsibilities demanded of me by the institutions I was a working member of.

I fell ill countless times, but I stood up and continued.

Because I knew I was getting somewhere. I took time needed to rest and went back in again.

You have to be resilient. 

At the end of my academic journey, I looked back and realised all that I had experienced was needed.

I graduated with a First Class from the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Benin, Nigeria-West Africa.

Leaving the university, I have also built a network wherein I professionally work as a graphic designer and digital artist,

and with the course I studied,

I have also set up a public relations firm focused on French language communications for business purposes and adaptation of francophiles to the French language.

All of these, which I can now hold on to, did not start suddenly.

They were born and started through the difficulties and experiences faced, which have now prepared me to use the lessons learnt to work with them. 

From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi

So, for every phase you find yourself in, deal with the challenges that come with it.

Enjoy the next phase, knowing that you have gotten the training needed to overcome the next challenge. It only gets better.

Also Read: Peace By All Means: Testimony of Archbishop Benson Idahosa – Diademng (thediademng.org)

About Desmond Asakitikpi:

Desmond Asakitikpi is a vibrant entrepreneur, proficient graphic designer and digital artist in addition to being fluent in French.

He is the co-founder and CEO of Entrie Global, a French-English public relations firm focused on French language communications for business communications.

He is currently the National Media Director of the non-governmental organization; LA CSI, in which he handles the creation of social media materials and utilized the media space for various purposes.

Desmond enjoys immersing himself in constant animation practise to improve more.

He also benefits enormously from reading and watching movies in order to develop more, both as an Artist and as a French communicator.

With years of expertise and advancement in his industry, he continues to explore the world of the media, learn and take advantage of it.

He is a First-Class graduate from the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Benin,Nigeria.

From Struggle to Strength: Testimony of Desmond Asakitikpi