When December rolled around, I said to myself, Bukky, you really should start writing your 2021 in review. Looking at how the year has been, I have so much to be thankful for, and I'd be ungrateful if I didn't write about how wonderful God has been to me.
April: I teamed up with Toyota to raise awareness for Connecticut families battling hunger, and I had a terrific time doing so. With the help of my tripod and remote, I was able to get back to making content.
I teamed with a Study Abroad Agency to provide more information to those interested in travelling abroad for a variety of reasons, including school, just like myself.
Finally, I was invited to my first event as an influencer here, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
May: I partnered with some malls here in Connecticut for a Mother's day giveaway. I also continued putting out content and worked with my first photographer here who also happens to be the first female photographer I've ever worked with. My pictures were clean and I kept putting out more content. In this same month, my friend and the photographer I currently work with Renny found me on Ig and reached out to me for a shoot. I'm so thankful to God for her and it just showed me God really pays attention to the little details cos I had been praying to find a photographer to work with. Finally, I partnered with Citizen watch US to promote one of their watches for spring. At the end of May, I also received something important for which I had been stressing. God was there for me. My first semester of graduate school ended in May as well.
I collaborated with Floral Street, a British perfume brand, and Youth to the People, an American skin care brand. They were both occasions for gifting, which I greatly enjoyed.
Content creation continued, and I met up with Yinka, my namesake and fellow blogger, to catch up and just have a good time. She also made me try crab cake for the first time which wasn't bad at all.
September - October: I was particularly focused on content creation during these months, juggling it all with my personal life and education. I'm really proud of myself!
My friend Sola flew in from Nigeria, and we had a blast creating content and visiting New York City. We had an amazing one week and created beautiful memories. It's amazing how easily an online friend becomes a family member.
November: School work became extremely demanding, but I had no choice but to persevere. This month, I also had one of the nicest collaborations with McDonalds! I enjoyed the campaign and gave it my all in creating such content. This was a thanksgiving/friends giving collaboration that I did with an Indian classmate. It was a lot of fun!
I also collaborated with Yinka and it was incredible to see two black influencers working together.
Collaboration over competition!
December: I was nearing the end of the semester and looking forward to my vacation, which I had planned to do outside of the United States.
In December, I went to Washington, D.C. with my friend Nida to celebrate her 30th birthday.
We returned to Connecticut, completed examinations, submitted papers, and completed the semester. I was happy to have completed my first year as a graduate student, which means I just have one year left.
I also collaborated with Walmart to promote their beauty box, which is a low-cost, seasonal beauty subscription box. This was a wonderful gift-giving opportunity for me.
I'll remain here until January before returning to school and beginning my second year.
God kept reminding me that he was always with me, that he always straightened everything out for me, and I am eternally grateful to him.
In 2022, I will make every effort to worry less, to take each day as it comes, and to continue to trust God.
