Girls MAP Scholar Stories: From Teaching Biology to UI/UX Design
Welcome to Girls MAP Scholar Stories, an interview series by Girls Trip Tours celebrating the inspiring journeys of women who have benefited from our scholarship programs. Through these features, we’ll highlight their achievements, challenges, and how the scholarship has shaped their growth. These stories reflect the power of opportunity and the strength of women committed to thriving.
Today's feature is on Faith Ayaruja — a former Biology science teacher who has pivoted into Product Design with the help of the Girls MAP 2023-2024 scholarship named for Teresa E Chukuma, the founder of Girls Trip Tours’ iconic 92 year old grandmother who is a pioneering educator and UNESCO diplomat. Our 2024-2025 scholarship program will launch sometime soon.
Can you tell us about how you learned about the Girls Trip Tours × AltSchool Africa scholarship opportunity?
In 2022, I was a Biology Science teacher looking to change my career path. I had been researching product design courses and watching YouTube videos about it.
I enrolled in a UX course on Coursera, but I couldn’t keep up because I found it not very explanatory.
As a beginner, I knew I needed a course that would allow me to delve further. In November 2022, I went on LinkedIn to search for Nigerian product design schools and came across AltSchool. That’s where I stumbled upon the Girls Trip Tours Scholarship opportunity.
What was your career like before the program and what inspired you to pursue it?
I was a secondary school Biology teacher in Nigeria inspired by color application and its fundamentals. However, getting into product design made me realize it’s not just about applying colors but about solving problems related to product-human interaction.
What were the biggest challenges you faced during your program and how did you overcome them?
I struggled with attending full-time online classes, but I adapted over time. At AltSchool, we had “circle pairing,” where each person was grouped with five or six others. This made communication easier, and we were able to express our fears and solve incomprehensible issues together.
How has completing this program influenced your career goals or personal aspirations?
Completing my product design program has made me much more knowledgeable than I was as a beginner.
Having learned a lot, I’m now putting my knowledge into practice by designing case studies, conducting UX research, and crafting my product design portfolio. This will increase my chances of securing an internship in a product design company where I can learn on the job and gain valuable experience.
What advice would you give to other women considering similar programs or looking to follow a path of growth and learning?
My advice is to always seek resources online but not get overwhelmed by the myriad of courses available. Do thorough research and practice consistently. X (formerly Twitter) is a great place to start by using hashtags related to the program you’re interested in.
Secondly, don’t compare yourself to others—it’s easy to say but hard to do. When you compare, you’re looking at people who have put in years of sleepless nights, continuous reading, and relentless research. That’s why they excel at their craft.
As a newbie, you may feel intimidated, forgetting that you’re just starting out. Admire others’ work, but don’t compare. Instead, focus on your self-development journey.