Champion, Coach, Entrepreneur! Aderoju Ope-Ajayi of Dolphin Swim School is our #BellaNaijaWCW this Week

Our #BellaNaijaWCW today is a classic example of how you can turn your passion to profit, and even make social impact in the process.

Aderoju Ope-Ajayi is the founder and lead instructor at Dolphin Aquatic Center, owners of Dolphin Swim School.

She’s been an excellent swimmer right from when she was a child, having been trained by her father, the erstwhile national swimming trainer, late Y.A Amodu.

While studying Cell Biology & Genetics at the University of Lagos, Aderoju participated in the Nigerian University Games (NUGA) and the West African University Games (WAUG) and won gold in swimming in both competitions.

She had to let her passion take the back seat while she focused on her studies.

Upon graduation, she got into the corporate world, gathering over 14 years’ experience in sales, channel strategy & management, and business development in the Telecommunications (GSM) & Pay TV industry.

However, in 2017, she quit job and founded Dolphin Aquatic Center, to provide an enriched, safe, fun and diverse swimming learning environment for families with a focus on women and children.

She wanted to to de-mystify swimming, and the phobia people have for it, and make it accessible to as many women and children as possible.

Aderoju is a Federation Internationale De Natation (FINA) certified expert. She’s also a certified water safety instructor and lifeguard instructor from LifeGuard – Pro.

She’s also taken business courses from Lagos Business School and the Metropolitan School of Business & Management Online.

She’s a 2017 WIMBIZ Impact Investment Competition Winner.

In 2018, she was announced as one of the the 13 winners of the 2018 African Entrepreneurship Award. She was one of three award recipients in the sports category funded by the BMCE Bank of Africa.