UnderDogs Into Winners Season 2: Olaseni Adeniji

The A-Game Team and Wonsulting are back with the second live stream of Season 2 of UnderDogs Into Winners with Olaseni Adenji.

Olaseni is a rising senior at the University of the District of Columbia& he just finished up his virtual PM Internship at Microsoft this summer.

Be sure to tune in this Saturday @11am PST on A-Game’s Youtube Channel.

Prior to Saturday’s event, we wanted to take the chance to shed some spotlight on who Olaseni is as a person along with some of his interests.

1). What is your favorite book of all time & why?

There so many good books, so this is undoubtedly a hard question, but Emotional intelligence 2.0 stands out for me. I think we are always so focused on grades, getting technical and hard skills for the role or career path that we often underrate or downplay the importance of emotional intelligence in every aspect of our lives. Understanding and our emotions, how to properly deal with it, and using it as a strength rather than weakness are 100% beneficial. In very many spaces EQ > IQ so to have resource help with that is amazing.

2). Who has been the biggest mentor in your career?

This is an interesting question, and honestly, I don’t think I can say one person’s name. I am proud that I have been blessed to have crossed paths with many people who have made significant impacts in my life at different life stages. Of course, my family (parents, brothers, uncles, aunts, etc.) inspire, motivate, and mentor me always, which has been huge for me. I will also recognize people, from my high school coaches and teachers to college professors, industry professionals, friends, and many other amazing people I am surrounded by. In all, I have a community that has mentored me and continues to mentor me.

3). What challenges did you face coming here from Nigeria?

Moving to a different country or a different continent is always going to come with its challenges. One of the biggest challenges I will say was culture integration. I sounded different; I am a huge sports fan, but the sport I grew up following in Nigeria was not major here (football we call it, but soccer here). In my opinion, people had different views on life different from what I was used to, and that was something that took time to grasp. So adjusting to this “new” way of life, navigating college, and trying to build a community/friends was definitely a lot, but like every situation, you find yourself in life, you adapt, adjust, and make your own way — which is what I did and do every day 

4). In What ways are you a different person during COVID?

This question is interesting because one of the major downsides of COVID for me is every day looking like the same and not realizing as a lot of time passes. This has made it hard to track progress or see changes, but I don’t think I became a different person to answer the question. Two things I can highlight I have learned or realized are; 1. I have made strides career-wise, seating at home with more time, I have been able to dabble into more things that I really like public speaking and laying the foundations for passion projects (YouTube and podcasts). The second point, while cliché, is learning to live in the now. With all the losses that have happened this period with people, jobs, opportunities, etc. I realized that we often get so worried about planning for tomorrow that we forget to be present and truly enjoy those things and people in front of us. Yes, plan for tomorrow but not at the expense of today.

5). What are some key takeaways you learned from Wonsulting?

1. Power of community. The Wonsulting community is huge, and there are so many givers in the community. To be friends/have a network of people like that honestly makes life easier and inspiring.
2. The power of telling your story, it’s very rewarding sharing your experiences and having people all over the world resonate with it and use it as inspiration to achieve their goals, that’s a hard one to top.
3. Lastly, just being smarter as a whole as it relates to chasing your dream/career path. Wonsulting does an excellent job career coaching and shout out to Jonathan Javier and Jerry Lee for constantly being there and provide support/advice.

6). Ultimately what brings out your A-Game?

The goals I set for myself. I am a very driven person. I want to work in certain spaces, create impact, and contribute to the world. I want to do things I love, make myself and my family proud. Thinking about these things gives the motivation to go out every day and grind. It brings about my “A-game.” Also, being a black international student from Nigeria, the cards are not stacked in my favor here, and I am aware of that. However, the plan to still achieve everything I want and more regardless is something that drives me to bring my “A-game” into everything.

To learn more about Olaseni, tune in to our Youtube Live this upcoming Saturday at 11 am!!