Daily Inspiration: Meet Ozi Opurum

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ozi Opurum.

Hi Ozi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi hi! Such a honor to be sharing my story!

My story starts in Jacksonville, FL, where I was born to Nigerian immigrants. When I was little, I wanted to be two things: a model and a journalist. Fast forward to now, I feel like I’m touching both of these in ways I never imagined — but in a good way.

My mom is a teacher, and my grandfather was a journalist, so I think my love for writing came from them. Writing and language arts were my strongest subjects all throughout school, and to this day, I have journals from over 10 years ago. This passion is what led me to my current “big girl” job that I’m proud of: senior copywriter at a tech company.

When it comes to modeling, I started taking it seriously last year. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time, and I’ve always had people ask me if I model or tell me that I should. My goal is to be a successful commercial model with major hair and beauty brands on billboards around the world.

I’ve always been pretty expressive with my hair — wearing Bantu knots in middle and high school, cutting it short, dyeing it blonde, coloring it blue, and more. Hair care has always been a passion of mine, even before I knew it was. Expressing myself through my natural hair has always come naturally to me. Since last year, I’ve modeled for a few hair brands, one being Camille Rose (which I’m really proud of!). I see a lot more opportunities on the horizon that I can’t wait for.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been the smoothest road. With copywriting, I’ve been blessed to have a successful career early on. I started with a few internships that set the foundation and molded me into the professional I am today. However, I struggled with a lot of different things, mainly being the youngest and the only black girl in these spaces. I often felt out of place, overlooked, and looked down upon, and I also experienced different microaggressions. It was very hard, but I just stayed laser-focused on my future. Right out of college, I got my first corporate job with CallRail, and then two years later, I joined my dream company: Mailchimp. I’m still with them, but I now work for their parent company, Intuit. With the rise of AI, it has been challenging and weird, but by the grace of God, I’m still thriving.

Modeling has been a bit different. My main struggle is imposter syndrome, feeling behind, feeling like I’m running out of time, hearing a lot of “no’s,” or getting no response at all. It can definitely start to chip away at your confidence, and I’ve had some really low moments pursuing it. However, this has been on my heart since I was a little girl, and as long as I do my part, I believe God will help me and see me through no matter what I feel.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Professionally, I’m a senior copywriter in martech (marketing + tech) with 5+ years of experience. Most of my work consists of writing emails, newsletters, and IPDs (in-product discoveries/popups). I’m also a freelance copywriter — I’ve worked with beauty, finance, and wellness brands. Outside of my professional work, I’m a hair and beauty model. I like to think I’m known mainly for this, or for how I express myself through my style, fashion, jewelry, nails, and more. My Instagram and social media profiles are proof of that as well.

I’m most proud of how I’ve stayed true to myself. Everything that I do or choose to do feels authentic to me and comes from a pure place. I’m proud of how much I’ve grown as well — I really turned into the woman I needed when I was younger. Now there’s a lot more representation, but when I was little, I didn’t see many darkskinned women who wore their natural hair. So it was important for me to embrace that and be an example of what I wanted to see, and I believe I’m doing it and thriving in it. As for what sets me a part from others, as cliche as it sounds: being myself. I truly believe that’s the best way to set yourself apart. Plus, you’ll never meet another Ozi, and if you do, she won’t be like me. 🙂

What matters most to you?
Living a fulfilling life that draws people back to God. Being a source of light or hope for others. Being kind. I’m human and I fall short sometimes, but this is the ultimate goal and what matters to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ozilynn.my.canva.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozilynn/

Image Credits
Ida John Photography | idajohn.com
The Klark | theklark.org | hello@theklark.org