Teenspiration: The Dynamite Called Mirabelle Morah

Mirabelle Morah is an amazing 19-year-old who I met at the Young African Leaders Initiative, West Africa, Regional Leadership Center, N2 and she was the only Nigerian teenage participant! Her creativity and ingenuity are one of the first things that you will notice about her. She is currently one of the four Nigerian students representing the country for Study of The United States Institutes (SUSI) 2017 in the United States. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s meet Mirabelle

Can we meet you ? (name, family background)

Absolutely! I’m Mirabelle Morah and I enjoy stories. I love being observant, listening to people and using writing as a medium to share stories that matter across a wide audience.

You are very young yet very involved in many projects. Can you tell us about what you do?

Basically I am a creative writer with a flair for entrepreneurial action. I write for blogs and magazines, I volunteer with youth based organizations, and I give out books as often as I can in the Blankpaperz Monthly Book Giveaway contest.
As the Editor-in-Chief of blankpaperz, a literary platform for young African writers, I scout for young talented writers and ask them to use Blankpaperz as a means to let the world see the creative things they’ve written. I believe that one’s story or poem can change someone else’s mind and it’s really a sad thing if we let our words hide between the pages of our books.

What inspired you to start blankpaperz?
I just really wanted a place to put up my stories and also feature some of my friends’ write-ups too. I was really scared about starting it and I kept doubting if I’d be able to maintain it for up to a year but like they say: feel the fear, have the doubts but go for it anyway. And so I started Blankpaperz. God has used it to teach me many things in life and I’ve met amazing people through this seemingly ‘tiny and doubtful’ idea called Blankpaperz.com. I’ve been graced by God to have featured people from over 6 African countries, telling their stories & receiving submission.

Have you always been upbeat about life? If not, what event influenced you to start seeing life in a new light?

Not at all. I felt I wasn’t smart enough when I was in high school. I had low self-esteem. I had pimples. My friends told me I had a big nose. In fact I didn’t always know what I wanted to be in life. Everything changed when I gave my life to Christ. Really! I was scared to lose my friends but at the end it didn’t matter. I got a new circle of friends, I started seeing myself the way Jesus saw me, I started working hard, I prayed more, I connected with people I wanted to be like, I started searching for mentors, I asked people for help, I failed to be awesome at things but I learned to always stand up again.

How do you successfully juggle academics and every other thing you are involved in?
(Laughs) When I say it’s God you just have to believe me. First, wisdom is profitable to direct so I make sure I manage my time very well by learning how to say no to great but irrelevant things. I make daily check lists, I try to read months before my exam starts by getting materials from senior colleagues. I try to make my reading fun, and because I love my course, assimilation is almost easy. I pray to God all the time because I believe he’s the giver of knowledge and understanding, all I have to do is ask and believe and study. School doesn’t teach me everything I want to know so I learn outside of school, but this doesn’t mean I have to disregard my studies.

A close look at your life will reveal that you have a relationship with Jesus. Can you tell us about that and how it has impacted what you do?
As I mentioned earlier, I received Jesus after secondary school. Jesus has been my source of confidence and everything. If I can’t do it, I don’t need to be afraid because I know He can do it, so he helps me do many things. When I have Jesus, there’s no how He wouldn’t affect all I do. My business is God’s business too.

What do you aspire to become in the near future?
By God’s grace, a much more improved, excellent and refined version of myself. And a better compassionate human being too.

What will you consider your greatest achievement?
Accepting Jesus as my Lord.

If there was a decision or a move you wish you had taken earlier, what would that be?
To not have been scared to meet people I wanted to talk to and to not have wasted time thinking and doubting too much.

Have you ever failed to achieve a goal, if yes, how did you manage it ?
Yes! Yes! Well I still had 100 more trials and if it didn’t work, try again a different way, and I tried to talk to more experienced people to help me out. Truth is, I can’t even remember many of my failed goals because I put them off my mind.

What is your advise to readers of the TeenAchiever bulletin?
Love your errors, love your laziness (for real, appreciate those moments when you are doing nothing.  Often times,  being alone helps you reflect on your life and actions), love those little talents of yours. It’s okay if you can’t figure everything out right now, sometimes we could get too sad and negative when we can’t figure it out. Just love what you’ve got, start where you can, ask God for direction, ask people for advise, learn to take corrections. Work hard, because life will only give you what you demand from her.