Chizitara Nkopara loves wearing protection helmets and overalls, that is why she feels at home working on a construction site. It is a challenging environment, male-dominated, but the 26-year-old from Nigeria is determined to follow her passion and to inspire other women to build successful careers in professions that are traditionally “for men.”
Chizitara is one of the finalists for the Studyportals Scholarship – International Distinction Awards 2022 and impressed us with her passion for Health and Safety. She is a 26 years old woman from Nigeria, soon to become an international student in Canada, as she got accepted for a Master’s in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene at the University of British Columbia.
Her whole face lights up when she talks about her profession, and her enthusiasm is contagious. It wouldn’t be surprising if, after having a chat with her, you’ll feel like changing your career and going into construction work yourself.
Always cared for the well-being of others
She studied a Bachelor’s in Physiology, but her interest in health started way before that.
“I took care of my family, I had relatives with type 2 diabetes. My grandma too, lived with us at some point, and I was the one helping her, taking care of her, and giving her insulin shots. Not because no one else could do it, but because I was just interested, I was fascinated, and I loved to do it.”
Later on, at university, she focused her research thesis on Type 2 diabetes, and as student president, she organised a community outreach where people could come and have their health parameters, such as blood pressure, glucose level, and weight, checked on.
She provided the students with general and dietary health advice. This project created awareness about the Physiology department, which was still very new in her school. She also came up with the idea of the department wearing sweatshirts with Ankara prints which helped create visual awareness.Her friends and colleagues were not left out in terms of getting health tips either.
“They say I always talk about health and wellness. I try to inspire many of my colleagues to eat healthily and drink water, just like the little things.”
“I was the only female in the department”
Once she finished school, she started her first job as a graduate representative and was placed at an oil and gas engineering company called Prime Source Limited. And Chizitara was the only woman in the Health and Safety department.
“I got into Health and Safety because I studied Physiology, and they didn’t know where to place me, to be honest. The closest to what I have studied was Health and Safety. And I’m so thankful for that because I really thrived in it.”
She felt attracted to this area and her next job was again at an engineering company, Jemtech Global. Here as well she had very few female colleagues. “There were only three women among 80 to 100 men“
“I really liked the hard hats, the overalls, and the safety glasses.”
At Prime Source, she handled the paperwork for onshore and offshore workers. But she felt stuck in the office, and wanted to get out, and explore. Now and then she would see workers passing by, wearing their helmets, and safety gear.
“I thought it was really cool. I told my manager I want to go where they were going and see what they were doing. I really liked the hard hats, and the overalls, and the safety glasses.”
But she was told it’s not really something for women, and besides, she would need a lot of certifications to do it. To that, she responded determinedly: “You know what, I’m going to push myself!”
And this is how Chizitara started doing the Health and Safety certification exams.
Became a team lead for teams of 40 men
After getting those certifications, in her next job at Jemtech, she was able to work onshore and became a team lead. It wasn’t easy, though. She was leading teams of 30, 40 men, people from diverse backgrounds.
Some were educated, while others weren’t, some spoke good English, and some didn’t and had trouble communicating, some were much older than her. Leading for all of them was sometimes very challenging, especially to have her expertise and experience recognised and listened to.
“I really had to push myself, you know, to be bold and confident.”
And she succeeded!
Chizitara is proud of her work and fully aware of her potential. She believes that if she excels in something her efforts must be recognised by others. This way others will be inspired to try a path they believed to be impossible.
“Some jobs are challenging, especially for women. But if we do our work well, we must promote our expertise and defend our right to be there”.
For her own performance at work, even in an environment mostly populated by men, Chizitara received an Excellence at Work Award from the MD of Jemtech and a certificate of recognition when she left Prime Source.
Wants women to have journeys easier than hers
Right now, she isn’t sure what she’ll do after gaining her Master’s degree. Perhaps she’ll return to Nigeria, stay in Canada to work or maybe even go for a PhD. But she knows she wants to find ways to help other young women like her.
“I’m trying to set up a business and help other young Health and Safety professionals like myself, especially women.”
She thinks access to information is really important, and she has already set up an Instagram page where she puts out content with advice on how to advance in your career, how to do well in interviews, and more.
Her job can be dangerous but her family is supportive and proud to see her follow her dreams.
“They are scared for me, mostly worried,” she said, “but proud.”
Now, Chizitara wants to make them even prouder, and we know she’ll be an inspiration for other young people to make their own families proud.
