Jan 2021

Miracle Olatunji Economics Honoree

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Miracle Olatunji is inspiring students to reach their full potential


Purpose and determination

Growing up, 20-year-old Miracle Olatunji was shy and struggled with low self-esteem and anxiety. She recalls seeing herself as worthless. But her perspective changed when she realized that her mother saw her as worthy. “She believed in me before I ever believed in myself,” she said. “She taught me how to start realizing my worth.”

Miracle said she owes it to her mom for empowering her to realize her potential. Now, she’s dedicated to doing the same for others. 

When Miracle was in middle school, she started an anti-bullying blog called BeTheBiggerBeing, which reached over 8,000 people. When she was in high school, she participated in a global youth entrepreneurship program called the Diamond Challenge. “This program turned out to be a life-changing opportunity for me to discover my passions and learn outside of a traditional classroom experience,” she said. “I was incredibly inspired by many young entrepreneurs I met through the program who were working on projects and ventures that made a significant impact on the lives of other people and in society.”

“I am a work in progress. I’m by no means perfect, but I am constantly working on self-improvement and developing my leadership, advocacy, and communication skills.”

Today, Miracle said she is driven by purpose, empathy, connection, and determination. “I’m a proud immigrant and daughter of immigrants,” she said. “I am a work in progress. I’m by no means perfect, but I am constantly working on self-improvement and developing my leadership, advocacy, and communication skills.”


Shining my light

Miracle is the Founder of OpportuniMe, the author of Purpose, and a junior at Northeastern University. Her organization seeks to empower the next generation of leaders to realize their full potential. She is passionate about personal and professional development, women's empowerment, financial literacy, and mental health awareness. Her other creative and entrepreneurial endeavors include writing, public speaking, voiceovers, and modeling. “I want to use my platform to advocate and support others to reach their fullest potential and purpose by sharing opportunities and creating inspiring and informative content,” she said. “A big part of my purpose in life is empowerment, which is about shining my light and helping others confidently switch on and shine their lights too.”

“I want us all to recognize the unlimited potential we all have inside us, regardless of stereotypes.”

As an exceptional Gen Z’er making a difference, Miracle was honored for her work in the Economics category through The Conversationalist. Miracle uses her voice for good by advocating for herself and others and building a platform of personal & professional growth. “I want us all to recognize the unlimited potential we all have inside us, regardless of stereotypes,” she said. 

For those looking to find their voice, Miracle suggests answering the following questions: What topics/hobbies make you feel most alive and lose track of time? What is one thing you'd like to change or make better in your community? How do you want to be remembered? She also suggests asking other people about yourself. “Oftentimes, we don't see those amazing qualities that we possess and may need other people to help us recognize them,” she said.

Currently, Miracle is excited for OpportuniMe to partner with Colgate through their new initiative, The Optimism Project. She hopes to continue working toward her goal of building OpportuniMe into a national organization. In five years, she sees herself living in a major city, working on passion projects, and doing work that inspires and challenges her to become the best version of herself.


We are the change

Miracle said The Conversationalist's mission inspires her to recognize her voice’s power and the importance of having open, respectful conversations with fellow Gen Z'ers about essential topics. “This community is one of the main reasons why I'm so proud to be a Gen Z'er,” she said. “We are the change. It's inspiring to be surrounded by and meet fellow young people who are passionate, driven, and creative. We want to build a world that's inclusive and innovative. We are rejecting stereotypes and stigmas.”

For Miracle, unification is about accepting and celebrating the beauty of our differences and uniqueness. She hopes to see Gen Z achieve this by using social media as a force for good and opening conversations about unlearning harmful stereotypes and stigmas.

“Make sure to ask follow-up questions to dig deeper and learn more about the person's perspective or where they're coming from.”

Miracle has conversations with people who have a different perspective or opinion to break open her echo chamber.  When it comes to navigating difficult conversations, Miracle advises listening to understand rather than just to respond.“Make sure to ask follow-up questions to dig deeper and learn more about the person's perspective or where they're coming from,” she said. “For a lot of us, our upbringing shapes our worldview. I am learning to practice empathy and patience when navigating difficult conversations.”


Big snaps to Miracle Olatunji for all she does to empower others. Keep up with her on Instagram to learn more about all of her impactful work.


Come hang out with Miracle and all of our LIST honorees! Join us in Geneva and follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay up to date with all of our future events.