Living Your Childhood Dream Is Possible

When I was 11 years old, while watching TV I decided that I wanted to become an actress. Not too long after that, I decided to become a lawyer while watching Matthew McConaughey’s excellent lead performance in A Time to Kill.  As you can see, the age of 11 was a pretty important time in my life. However, one more significant thing happened when I was 11. My parents sent me to Nigeria on my own, and it was the biggest culture shock of my life.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and it remains foundational to my deep love for Nigeria, there was one thing that could have been different: my access to the creative arts.

I lived in Owerri in Imo state, and I attended Alvana Model Secondary School for three years. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and it remains foundational to my deep love for Nigeria, there was one thing that could have been different: my access to the creative arts. In my secondary school, there were no creative arts classes offered. Nor were there any creative arts opportunities accessible to me outside of school. This meant that my dream of one day becoming an actress was to be put on hold for the next 3 years.  

The dream of an 11 year old can one day influence the world. We must look to the youth as the future of our world.

Dreams are important. They have the ability to shape a person’s life. I went from being a wide-eyed 11 year old sitting in front of the TV fantasizing about acting, to now living in Hollywood, California working as a professional actress. When you are walking in your purpose, God will bless you in ways you could never imagine. I am honored to be in two huge movies that will soon come out. In one of these films, I play the lead character, who is also Nigerian. When this movie comes out, it has the potential to change lives, and this is very important. Being able to use my craft as an actress to change lives is important. Acting, in essence storytelling, can change lives. Art can change lives. The dream of an 11 year old can one day influence the world. We must look to the youth as the future of our world. Now is the prime time to cultivate their passions, their consciousness, and their creativity. We at Orísun Collective are playing our part to build up our young generation and evolve the world we live in.