Take 5 with Nana Ogburn

Nana Ogburn (’21)

Wake Forest Fellow in the Office of Personal & Career Development

1. How do you define success for yourself? What has helped you to be successful?

For the longest time, success meant proving to myself that I had the skills to get amazing grades, commit to extracurriculars, and having a part-time job all at once. Struggling with mental health issues led me to realize that success should be happiness. Meaning, I am completely happy with no longer committing to a bunch of things but rather focusing on the few things that generate happiness for me.

2. Think of a time that you faced a challenge, obstacle, or roadblock. How did you get through that and what did you learn?

During the last semester of my senior year, rather than celebrating my post-graduation job offer, I immediately started worrying about my finances. The transition from being a student to a full-time professional means very different things monetarily. Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself then that I just needed to place my mindset in the present, celebrate the fact that I was able to secure a job and that graduation was coming soon. Wake students will always find a way to make it work. Managing your own finances is an incredibly daunting thing, but I reframed it as a learning experience that required making mistakes.

3. Who are your people (either by name or role) who help you to be successful/confident/intentional/reflective/any other descriptor you want to use? And how have they helped you?

Anuja Palacharla! My best friend in the whole world. We met on the first day of our pre-orientation program at Wake and the rest is history. She was the sunshine in my life that gave me the perfect amount of positivity that I needed during my lowest times. I never really had a genuine friend growing up as a military child; they were often toxic and made me feel self-conscious. Meeting Anuja reminded me that true friends will always be there to cheer you on and will always remind you about the good things about yourself.

4. How did you find your people?

I had a really small group of friends: 4 people. And I think that is my perfect number. I met my friends largely through one extrovert who brought us all together. We never had any classes together; we sometimes lived near each other on campus; we weren’t really in the same clubs. Yet somehow, we became lifelong friends thanks to the one extrovert in the group.

5. What advice would you give to Wake Forest students as they look for their people?

Force people to join a club with you! Have a go-to person or group of people you want to attend campus events with! The more occasions you constantly attend together, the more you bond.