The Basics
Name: Deborah Sogelola
Year: 4th
Major: Communications and Political Science
Hometown: Brampton, ON
Activities: Reading, blogging, photography
Relationship Status: Single
Favorite…
Place to Party: PPL
Place on Campus: FSS building
Type of Food: Anything that involves a steak
TV Show: How To Get Away With Murder
Movie: Girl’s Trip, Forrest Gump
HC: How do you feel about being nominated as a Campus Celebrity?
I think it’s amazing! I remember reading Her Campus uOttawa articles is High school and thinking about how cool it would be to be featured as a uOttawa student and here we are!
HC: How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as simple. I tend to go for things that are comfortable and neutral in color.
HC: What is something that most people do not know about you?
Something people wouldn’t know about me is that I love to sing, actually all my friends know this because I never shut up. However, for the most part I don’t sing a lot or perform publicly because I have the worst stage fright.
HC: What made you want to start your blog?
I started blogging one summer because I had nothing else to do. I did it for about a year and in that time decided to learn more about it. I was watching videos, learning about branding, SEO’s and content creation. Finally, I decided to take it seriously and start over. In December of last year, I launched Cocktails and Ambition and it has been the best decision ever.
HC: What advice do you have for people wanting to make a name for themselves in the blogging world?
I would say that it’s important to decide what you want to blog about and think about ways you can add value to your readers. Blogging trends come and go, so don’t hop on what you think is popular or what everyone else is doing, just have a vision of what you want it to be and be consistent in producing content that offers value.
Also, do your research and learn about optimizing your content so that people can actually find it. There are thousands of blogs out there so it’s not enough to just write and hope someone stumbles upon it, you have to actually work to make sure it reaches your target audience.
HC: What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
My biggest accomplishment so far would be the richness of my academic career at the university of Ottawa. I’m proud that in the past four years, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and pursued various opportunities while in school. I have had the opportunities to write for an academic journal, work on undergraduate research, and gain experience in communications, while also being a part of various extracurricular organizations on campus like the Fulcrum, Her Campus, I vote/Je vote and the Black Student Leaders Association.
HC: Who inspires you?
My mom is my biggest inspiration. I’m inspired by how hard she works and all the sacrifices she’s made for my siblings and myself. She pushes me to ask for what I want and believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself.
HC: Do you have a motto you live by?
My mom gave me a long talk once about believing in yourself and the one thing I took away from that and continue to live by is “giving a 100% and failing is better than living with ‘what if.'”
HC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years, I hope to have finished grad school, written a book and made cocktails and ambition into a full-fledged career and lifestyle website.
HC: What is something on your bucket list?
The biggest thing on my bucket list is to visit 10 different countries by the time I’m 25.
HC: What do you want to be remembered for at uOttawa?
I hope I can be remembered as someone who is kind and contributed positively to the uOttawa community.
HC: Where can people find you?
You can find me on Facebook, follow my Instagram @cocktails_and_ambition or follow my blog cocktails and ambition!