Fawaz Onakoya

Good morning, y'all.🤭 I hope you had a good night rest. I just made a new post on LinkedIn and I'll really appreciate your engagements on the post. Kindly help to like, comment and share. linkedin.com/posts/rukayat-a… Thank you and God bless you.🤭❤️

We often show the world what worked. Rarely do we talk about what hurt, what paused, or what didn’t come through. Today, I choose to speak about that too. A brother of mine @powerfulbadeeu once said, “We don’t celebrate our failures or shortcomings as much as our wins.” And that statement sat with me longer than I expected. Because behind every highlight we celebrate, there are quiet moments we don’t talk about; the prayers that didn’t get the answer we hoped for, the plans that didn’t unfold, the effort that still didn’t end in applause. In 2025, some of my major goals didn’t come through and admitting this took more courage than sharing my wins. ✨ I started working with Talktu, a startup providing speech therapy services through an app. I began as an intern, full of excitement, but with many engagements pulling at me, I couldn’t keep up. Letting go wasn’t easy. ✨ I applied for the @MtScholarships and pitched for the GRE voucher and I didn’t win. Rejections that tested my confidence and patience. ✨I applied for some other scholarships and didn't get in. ✨ I received “breakfast emails” from professors across US universities while seeking a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders; moments that reminded me how close, yet how far some dreams can feel. ✨ I couldn’t publish two of my research papers, despite the long hours and quiet hopes. ✨ I didn’t enrol in Madrasah (Arabic School) as I had planned, even though my heart truly wanted it. ✨ I intended to read one book every month but I couldn’t find the rhythm in the midst of everything else. ✨ I planned to learn a new skill, even without knowing exactly which one and somehow, time slipped past me. These failures and shortcomings hurt. Not because they made me less capable but because they mattered deeply to me. But they also taught me something gentle and important: That effort is not wasted, even when outcomes don’t align. That growth is not always visible. That sometimes, showing up and trying is the win. So this post isn’t about disappointment. It’s about honesty. It’s about making room for the parts of the journey we usually hide. Because the full story deserves to be told; the wins, the lessons, the waiting… and even the failures we’re still learning from. 🤍✨ – at Abuja, Nigeria

My 2025 wrapped ✨ ✔️ Graduated with a First Class Honors ✔️Got a job before graduating from Uni ✔️Presented my first abstract at a conference ✔️Received my first award of academic excellence ✔️Spent more time with family ✔️Conducted speech therapy for a state leader ✔️Flown on an airplane 5 times; a childhood dream I once thought was too far away ✔️Relocated to a place far away from home ✔️ Volunteering with an international NGO ✔️Joined LinkedIn and I've been consistently putting myself out ✔️Became more intentional about my online presence ✔️Got my first designer bag; a big girl buy😂 ✔️Gifted myself an international passport as a birthday gift ✔️Started my YouTube channel ✔️Received other awards for excellence and meritorious service ✔️ Worked with so many patients and realizing that for some of them, healing wasn’t just clinical, it was human. And sometimes, I’d whisper to myself, "Ruqayyah, you did that." ✔️Attended trainings on public speaking and personal development, investing in who I am becoming. To mention just a few… Above everything, I am grateful. Grateful for growth. Grateful for grace. Grateful for a God who exceeded my expectations in ways I didn’t even know to ask for. Thank you, 2025. I’m ready for more. 🤍✨