How I made first class, says Unilag’s best graduate
Though not more than four feet in height, she, however, towers far above many of her age mates in terms of academic endowment. Little wonder she beat all the mighty and powerful students hands down to emerge as the best overall graduating student for the session with a whopping 4.96 cumulative point. She sternly maintains […]
Though not more than four feet in height, she, however, towers far above many of her age mates in terms of academic endowment. Little wonder she beat all the mighty and powerful students hands down to emerge as the best overall graduating student for the session with a whopping 4.96 cumulative point. She sternly maintains to Weekly Trust that it is not by height or container, but by content.
Deborah Bamidele Ayodele was born 21 years ago to the humble family of Mr and Mrs Ayodele. Both parents are civil servants. While the father rose over the years to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), her mother is a humble classroom teacher in one of the public junior secondary schools in Lagos. It never crossed their minds that their daughter would one day become the talk of town.
When Weekly Trust met her a few days after the graduation ceremony, she was still in a celebratory mood, adapting very quickly to her new status.
According to her, “it is quite overwhelming moving around the school. I hear people greet me here and there, but at home, my parents still treat me as usual. On the convocation day, a lot of people were surprised, saying, “Oh, so Debbie, you are so good!”
When asked whether she ever planned for such a moment, she was quick to respond that she never planned to get this high, though she was aiming for the best in her academics. “It never crossed my mind that I can ever get so high. I aimed to be at the top of my class, but not to this point.
On her plans for the future, Deborah maintained that she doesn’t think she has got to the end because there are still many things ahead of her in life.
“Definitely, I will go for my NYSC, serve the country and later on go for my Master’s, though I don’t know yet which course. Then I will start thinking of settling down in marriage”.
Shedding light on what motivated her, Debbie as she is fondly called, said the orientation programme she attended after gaining admission was the catalyst that spurred her to discard the erroneous belief of ‘Jambites’.
“I attended an orientation programme where Seun Ajayi spoke. He was actually the best graduating student of 2005|2006 academic session. He changed my mind about getting all A’s in a university. I had earlier believed erroneously that it was not possible in a university setting to get an all A’s in your courses unlike the secondary school. It was a motivating factor for me in my quest for excellence. What we all believed was that getting an all A’s is an eternal impossibility.
“Secondly, I read very wide. I read a lot of books from many authors. I read motivational books like ‘Secrets of Successful Students’ by Sam O. Salau, an ex-student of Unilag and many others too numerous to be counted. Also, I took refresher courses every semester, and by the time I did that, I always felt prepared to face all the rigours of the new semester,” she said.
She told Weekly Trust that one thing in particular that she kept repeating to herself anytime the rigours of workload tried to weigh her down and she got discouraged is that the sacrifice is worth it, and that very soon, she would get out of the burning fire of academic life.
Revealing the most important secret of her four-year adventure in the ivory tower that helped her to tower above all others, Deborah stated that, “I sooner than later found out that all these things am doing are simple things that many people know about, but they usually ignore them all to their detriment. There are little things people don’t pay attention to. Majorly, God is my inspiration because there were times that I didn’t feel like reading at all.
“I learnt a lot from people around me. I just look at people who have excelled around me and learn from them. I also know that over-confidence can kill a student or enter my head. I never felt that Debbie is too good and then she cannot fail. I ask questions and interact with people.
“Personally, I tried to attend all classes, but I did not attend all my classes.
“My notes were very comprehensive and very important to me. I went the extra mile to get materials from the library, internet and every other place. Though I studied geography, I can talk about many other courses like computer science, medicine and engineering. Geography is my starting point and I can specialise in any of them,” she said.
When it comes to spending to buy books, Debbie maintained that on many occasions, she had had to deprive herself of so many comforting things. “I spend a lot of money on books, and am sure that more than 50 per cent of the money I get from home goes into photocopying of materials, buying of new books and research, etc.”
As one who has crossed the seven seas of education, she advised all students still coming up to make God their source, because he is the only one who can help. “Different lecturers have different styles and only God can help one to get to that point in life. Also, if you want something bad enough, you will know that there is no sacrifice that is too much to pay for it.
“Desire is the first word; desire it and create the right environment that is good for you, because there are so many odds against a person. I was not very comfortable as I also faced many challenges like any other student. Be determined and diligent, and lastly, add discipline. I cut down on sleep to achieve my dream,” she said.
Students, she counselled, must cut down on distractions; they must set their priorities right and they will surely achieve their goals.