7News anchor Amaka Ubaka visited Everett High School on March 18 to talk with members of the EHS Wave Club, and her words left so many of us, including me, feeling inspired and seen in a way we never had before.
“You guys are unique individuals, and what will work for one person may not work for another, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try,” Ubaka said. “Because if I had listened to people who told me, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that’, I wouldn’t be where I am today, would I?”
The talk, which was held at the Crimson Cafe, lasted almost an hour. It was genuinely one of the most engaging and uplifting conversations I have ever been a part of. By the end, embarrassed as it made me then, and embarrassed as I still am, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears from the impact of Ubaka’s words.
“You fought for this, you know how to do your job, you give 110%, you’re good at what you do and you need to rock it,” Ubaka said, when touching on the topic of imposter syndrome, and how to combat it. Something about her words, about the surety within them, really affected my own mentality and the way I saw my own capabilities. It was quite emotionally liberating.
During the talk, Ubaka spent almost all of her time answering our questions. She touched on past experiences, fears, inspirations, challenges, achievements and much more–all at the behest of the students’ questions.
When asked about her motivation to keep working, Ubaka said, “I stay motivated knowing that every day, when I wake up and when I do the job, I put in 110%. I genuinely love what I do.” Her response reminded us to shape a future for ourselves, highlighting our own passion and interests so that we can actually love what we do, and I think it really resonated with everyone there.
Each of her answers seemed to encourage the small crowd to ask more questions, as by the end of our time, many students even stayed back to continue their conversations.
“The talk was absolutely incredible. Amaka Ubaka is such an inspiration and such a talented woman. It was great being able to hear her story and advice,” said one Freshman by the name of Emanuelly Da Silva. Another student who also attended the speech said, “She was really inspirational and really helped a lot of people who attended see what it’s like to be a female news anchor.”
It is unbelievable the amount of joy I, and everyone else present felt, seeing a woman of color talk about her successes. It gave us all hope, really. The world isn’t exactly kind to women or people of color, and so many of us live with a constant fear of being judged for our identities. But seeing her strength, hearing her accomplishments, it gave us all so much confidence and aspiration. I will definitely be carrying her advice into my future and that, itself, is a testament to how much of an impact her words had.
Though I myself am not a member of the Wave Club, with the recommendation of my history teacher, Mr. Cunningham, I, along with a few of my friends from the same class, was allowed to join the conversation. I am incredibly grateful to my teachers, the school, and of course Ubaka herself, for this opportunity.
