For publishing her first book at age 13, Gbemisola Akinsipe was our first feature on the Teenspiration Column of the TeenAchiever Bulletin and now she is an Ambassador for the #teachateen campaign. In this write-up, she stresses the importance of parenting to a fulfilling childhood. In her words, “…every child is gifted and it is important that parents allow enough room and opportunities for the gifts in their children to be expressed”
Gbemisola Deborah Akinsipe simply describes herself as a child of God because according to her, her relationship with Him is the most important thing in her life. She calls him her anchor, the source of purpose; her everything. She is a recent graduate of Chemical Engineering from the prestigious Covenant University (an eagle). “I really like school and exams”, she says; but other than her love for schooling is her passion for writing. She believes it’s her rod (like the one in the hand of Moses), a gift God has given her for a time such as this. She started writing really early and is blessed to have parents who believe in her.
She had her first book published at 13, her second some years after and she is just getting started. Her parents have been a strong force in her life. They have been her strongest supporters and she owes a lot of her motivation to keep doing what she loves, to them. In her own words, “My parents make me feel like I have infinite potential. Anything I wanted to learn, they let me. I started tailoring lessons in secondary school and I stopped, but when I said I wanted to do it again, they supported me. I love to cook and they celebrate it. I wanted to learn to play the violin and they bought me one. They understand that going to school is important but children have so much more than that in them. They encourage me to reach within myself, locate as many gifts and interests as possible and maximize them. Even in my writing, they are my biggest marketers and every time I have felt like quitting, they have cheered me on. There are so many things I have learnt and discovered about myself and my future because of the opportunities they let me have. Every child is gifted and it is important that parents allow enough room and opportunities for the gifts in their children to be expressed”
I am Gbemisola Akinsipe and I support the Teach a Teen Campaign.
