Slow Assimilation Didn't Deter Me From Pursuing Academic Excellence— Yabatech’s Best Graduating Female Student, Oreoluwa Soyobi

Miss Oreoluwa Soyobi, the best graduating female student at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has proved that journey to excellence may be rough and tough, but the end goal is always attainable when focus and dedication are applied. With an impressive 3.80 Cumulative Grade Point Average on the scale of 4.0, Oreoluwa defied all odds and hurdles to top the list of 2023/2024 graduating students at the premier College of Technology in Nigeria. At its 36th convocation ceremony held on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, YABATECH produced 8,139 graduates including 316 distinction holders.

In this exclusive session with Damilare Adeleye, our reporter, Miss Soyobi, a graduate of Food Technology, shared how perseverance, determination, and a relentless pursuit of excellence paved the way for her profound academic feat.

Damilare: How was your educational journey from secondary school to the higher institution?

Oreoluwa: It was a transformative journey. I have always been a go-getter academically because I really hate failure. So I am always going extra mile to study right form secondary school and it became part of me up till higher institution. I was able to do this through consistent practice and with the help of my Mum, my proprietor and proprietress, teachers in secondary school and also my lecturers at higher institution.

Damilare: How would you describe your days in secondary school?

Oreoluwa: It was interesting. I remembered my days in secondary school as always being at the forefront of my class academic activities and I was given the role of the head girl. My classmates and teachers made it very interesting but what I didn’t get to learn properly was networking.

Damilare: You came out as the best graduating female student in the recently held convocation. I'll want to ask if the course you studied was your choice initially when you were aspiring for admission.

Oreoluwa: I never aspired to study Food Technology. Growing up as kid, I was always aspiring to become a medical Doctor. Regardless, I fell in love with the one I was given as I grew deeper in the course.

Damilare: What was your major fear before and immediately you gained admission to YABATECH?

Oreoluwa: Before I gained admission, my fear was losing my admission because my mates were in school already. And immediately I gained admission, my fear was accommodation and feeding.

Damilare: What was your first shock at the school?

Oreoluwa: My first shock was when I realized that hostel wasn’t opened when I resumed and my mum was staying in Ogun State. So, I had to sleep in the common room and for almost a full semester.

Damilare: As the best graduating female student, how were you able to achieve such profound academic performance?

Oreoluwa: I was able to achieve such profound academic feat because I always aim at excellence and the only way I could achieve that was to study really hard.

Damilare: What were the challenges you possibly encountered during your academic studies?

Oreoluwa: During my academic studies, one of the major challenges I faced was building my confidence. I often felt that others were more capable than me at my early stage in school which made it hard to speak up in group discussions or form connections with classmates. Others were balancing academics and my business, waking up for lectures early, I assimilate slowly so I spend so much time studying to understand which was really painful. Even, I own a cake brand. And at a point, I couldn’t balance it for long in school, so I had to put it on hold in my final year.

Damilare: How did your parents feel when you came out with this academic excellence?

Oreoluwa: They were so proud of me. My mum is a teacher and she supported me financially through school and her prayers were my bedrock throughout and it all ended in praise

Damilare:When you were announced as the best graduating student, was there any monetary or any other rewards from either the school management or government?

Oreoluwa: At the point of announcement, I was only given certificates that stated my win and where to get my reward.

Damilare:What's your advice for potential and current students who will be aspiring to achieve similar academic success?

Oreoluwa: I would advise them to spend time studying and also avoid unhealthy competition.