From Novice to Navigator: My Thrilling Journey at TIIDELab Prefellowship

This wasn’t my first rodeo with TIIDELab. I had been part of a previous pre-fellowship but didn't apply for the fellowship because I had to serve my go for my NYSC at that time. But this time, I came back with full force, determined to make it into the program. I saw the flier for the call for applications from a friend who’s an alumna, and I decided to go for it. After passing the CCAT test and receiving my admission mail, I knew I was in for an epic journey. TIIDELab is all about training tech enthusiasts and creating opportunities for software developers. I thought it would be just another dive into frontend and backend development with like-minded techies. But nope! They threw in AI and machine learning with a side of Python, and I was all in.

One of my fondest memories was learning HTML and CSS with the one and only Unclebigbay (shoutout to him!). Our first task was to build a barber shop web page. Now, I had dabbled a bit in web design, but (Unclebigbay) Ayodele Samuel Adebayo made it all come together. It was like he had the cheat codes to the game of coding, and suddenly, I was leveling up. However, not everything was smooth sailing. I joined the program a bit late and missed the first assignment. So, naturally, I scored a big, fat zero. With weekly evictions looming, it felt like being on a reality show where one wrong move could get you kicked out. Determined not to be a one-episode wonder, I buckled down and made sure to follow every instruction to the letter. By the time the evaluation sheet came around, I was back on track, thanks to nailing the other assignments and showing up like a boss. We were tasked to build a portfolio page using HTML and CSS. Leveraging my UI/UX design skills, I crafted a sleek and responsive page, thanks to the techniques we learned.

The second week brought a new challenge: team work. We were split into different teams, and I found myself in Team 9, with @DapoSarumi leading us and myself as the assistant team lead. We were also lucky to have a mentor assigned to our team; she guided us through navigating our projects and provided invaluable insights. This was the week Python made its grand entrance. Our instructor broke it down from the basics—think variables, loops, and all that jazz—to more advanced concepts. It was a whirlwind, but I loved every bit of it.

Our next big challenge was a team project, and we started with the "Ask TIIDE Chatbot"—a bot meant to answer predefined questions about TIIDELab. We were pretty pumped, but our first sprint presentation didn't go as planned. We were told that the scope of our project was too narrow and that we needed to think bigger. That was a bit of a curveball because we weren't prepared for such feedback. I ended up presenting, and let's just say it wasn't my best work. At some point, I was rambling, probably because I was so nervous and unprepared. It was a bit embarrassing, but hey, live and learn, right?

After several team meetings, we decided to pivot to a new idea: "Chat with Ella," a hotel assistant chatbot that helps users find hotels in Nigeria. This was more ambitious, and we felt good about the new direction. As the project progressed, we had more sprints and presentations. Other team members took turns presenting, and we received valuable feedback each time, helping us improve Ella. It wasn't always smooth sailing, but each critique helped us refine the chatbot and make it more robust.

Now, let's talk about the MVP of the whole experience—Mr. Shams, our coordinator. He made the prefellowship worthwhile, teaching us soft skills like public speaking, storytelling, article writing, and the right attitude to work. Two things stood out to me: public speaking (not because I was bad at it, but because I wasn't quite there yet) and the right attitude to work. I became the most active member in our project—duhh. One challenge I faced was communication with my teammates. I handled the design part and some coding, but there were times when the coded pages didn’t match my designs. And as a designer, that’s super frustrating. But we worked through it and made our webpage close to perfect. Oh, and did I mention I was the last female standing after the evictions? Yup, girl power! My contribution to the team was significant, and it felt great to represent.

As the prefellowship wraps up, I can't help but feel both proud and excited. This one-month whirlwind was just the beginning. The full TIIDELab Fellowship is coming up next, and I'm eager to dive deeper. My advice to anyone considering this program? Go for it! It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn, grow, and network with some of the brightest minds in tech. I’m also looking forward to seeing my awesome team members again—they truly are the best. So, here's to new beginnings, more learning, and a whole lot of tech adventures ahead! If you're passionate about tech and ready to level up, TIIDELab is where you want to be. Trust me; it's an experience you won't forget!