Meet The 21 Year Old Best Graduating Student of Redeemers University Nigeria With CGPA of 4.91 (His Secrets Will Shock You)
Oyebode Olaoluwa, 21, is the best graduating student of the Redeemer’s University of Nigeria, Ede, Osun State, in the 2014/2015 academic session having scored 4.91 CGPA, from the Department of Computer Science. He tellsTUNDE AJAJA about the things he did differently to emerge as the best
Did you see it coming that you would be the overall best student?
It was never in my plan to be the best student, even though I had always planned and worked towards graduating with a first class. I just did my best, just like the Bible says whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. I gave my best and thank God I have something to show for it. Even though I had collected several other awards, ranging from the department, college to the school, I didn’t see it coming. My friends used to tease me with it but I didn’t know I would emerge as the best until I was asked to send my convocation speech. It was then I knew it was real.
How smooth was the journey?
Nothing good in life comes easy. Life doesn’t give you what you deserve but it gives you what you demand from it. Just like in mathematics, every problem has a formula to get the answer. So also is success, there are formulas to success in all areas of life. I only applied the formula and it yielded the result. Success in anything in life is not accidental, it requires conscious effort. Like the philosopher, William Matthews, said, “The first law of success is concentration – to bend all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right nor to the left.” It was a long term conscious decision to graduate with a first class and I simply worked towards it.
Have you always had such an impressive performance in your previous schools?
Yes. I was privileged to have been taught by good teachers who groomed me and prepared me well in my secondary school, so I passed my West African Senior School Certificate Examination in one sitting and it was quite easy when I wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Even though I wrote it twice, because I didn’t secure admission the first time, despite the fact that I passed the post-UTME, interestingly, I scored 259 the two times I wrote the exam.
How was your experience in 100L?
It was a wonderful experience. The orientation programme organised for us as fresh students really helped. I learnt a lot about the school’s mode of operation, the rules and regulations and several other necessary things about the school. The university chapel executives also helped me to settle down and they treated me as their younger sibling.
Were there things you did differently to be the best?
I started leading my class right from my 100 Level, and so I had to sustain the tempo throughout. I had to keep working hard. I’ll place it down to God and hard work. I discovered that I would amount to nothing useful if I didn’t put Christ as the foundation of my life. The Bible says, “Without Christ, I am nothing.” Christ is the custodian of wisdom, he gave me the wisdom on how to relate with my lecturers and colleagues too which was a vital key. I understood what worked for me and harnessed it. I wasn’t a regular visitor to the library because the library was air-conditioned, making it too cold for me to read and I love to listen to soft music or audio sermons when I read, which I can’t do in the library. So, my room was my library, and I used to read for about four to five hours daily, it could be more on weekends and I slept for about four to five hours daily.
To have a 4.91 means you must have had strong GPAs. Do you still remember them?
Yes, I do. In 100 Level first semester, I had 4.82, and in second semester, I had 4.88. In 200 Level first semester, I had 4.88, and in second semester, I had 4.89. In 300 Level first semester, I had 4.96, and in second semester, I went for Industrial Training. In 400 Level, I had 5.00 in both first and second semesters.
When you got to school, was there any major decision you took concerning your academics that helped you eventually?
Yes, I believe it is the decision of the kind of friends I wanted to have. Friendship is not by force but by choice, and I was so lucky to be gifted with amazing friends. They really helped me a lot to remain focused and committed. I have heard stories of people who were successful in times past and I discovered a recurrent secret most of them had is the kind of people they associated themselves with. So, I was careful with that.
What informed your choice of Computer Science?
Computer Science was a divine choice for me. Also, my love for anything associated with computers attracted me to the course, and my parents were very supportive. Most times we don’t get to find out what area God has carved out for us to manifest. Since the course was a divine choice for me, so the hard work I put into it yielded results. Many people are working hard but in the wrong direction. No matter how hard a lion tries to swim, it cannot outwit the weakest fish in the ocean because that is not its area of expertise.
Some people now see Computer Science as simple, more so that its critical aspects are now being offered in training centres. What is your take on that?
Computer Science is not just what can be taught at any training centre. The training centres may teach different technologies and tools to implement them but the core of the technology, which is the science of it, would not be taught. For example, one may be taught how to use a programming language, but the person may not know the science of compiler construction. Computer Science is beyond what can be taught in training centres, and it’s not a cheap course.
Which part of the course did you love most, and which part did you find least challenging?
It would be very difficult to choose the one I love the most but I will tilt towards Artificial Intelligence. My least challenging course was Object Oriented Programming.
People say it’s almost impossible to study Computer Science without cramming certain things. Is that true?
That is correct to an extent, but it depends on the individual. There are some courses that are bulky, and it would take a lot of preparation to understand every bit of them. Some people tend to cram, especially for exam purpose, but even in cramming, such a person must still understand the concept because Computer Science is not a static course, it is dynamic. So, for anyone to be able to put its knowledge into good use, there must be adequate understanding, which cramming may not guarantee.
Programming is one aspect of Computer Science that is very vital but it seems difficult. How easy did you find it?
I had problem with it initially and it could be frustrating if one does not get it right. Programming involves finding solutions to real life problems, and it requires creative and strategic thinking. It can be frustrating and time consuming because it usually affects the time I had for other courses, but once you can create a pathway in solving the problem, that is, you can formulate the algorithm in solving the problem, half of the job is done. To be a good programmer, one needs to be very creative and smart in thinking. It became relatively easy for me because I had wonderful lecturers and colleagues whom I worked with. Like the saying goes, two heads are better than one.
With its numerous advantages in solving problems, are there ways it can be applied to solve some of our problems in Nigeria?
Nigeria is not alien to using technology for solving problems. Several software applications have been deployed in several sectors to address problems, such as internet banking applications, software used to run diagnostics on vehicles and many others, but we can do more.
As a fresh graduate of computer science, what would you like to contribute to this field?
I would like to contribute in the area of security. It is an area of concern to a lot of people. So many people don’t engage in internet banking because they don’t feel safe with it due to one experience or the other. I am currently doing a course on ethical hacking. I would love to major in Information Security. The world is gradually tilting towards Cloud Computing and one of the major concerns of Cloud Computing is security, so it would be a promising area of research. That is my aspiration.
Some people make money from their proficiency in programming. Did it fetch you some money as an undergraduate?
No, I didn’t make money from it but I was involved in developing some applications for the university during my industrial attachment.
Were you involved in other school activities?
Yes, I was. In 200 Level, I was the vice president of my departmental association and in 300 Level, I was privileged to be the chapel president. I was also in the Bible Study unit of the Chapel and a member of Africa Missions Youth Wing. Beyond that, I had a normal social life; interacted with friends and had some fun, usually by going to social gatherings, like departmental dinners.
Where would you like to work?
I like to work in the IT industry or a research institute.
What would be your advice to students?
My advice to students is for them to be committed, have a clear-cut vision and put all their energy to it. With God at the centre of it, the sky would be the starting point.
