Academic Excellence Is A Result Of Hardwork, Says 2021 Best Graduating Student Of Crescent Varsity
Miss Taofeekat Abimbola Okunlola is the 2021 valedictorian at Crescent University, Abeokuta. She emerged with a Cumulative Grade Points Average of 4.88 to lead the pack. In this interview by Idris Katib, she unveiled how she achieved her feats among others, stressing that the academic plus vision of the institution is to train Godly students who will still perform excellently well in academics.
Excerpts below:
Q: Please Introduce yourself.
A: My name is Okunlola, Taofeekat Abimbola, I am 19 years old, I am a young graduate of Accounting from Crescent University. I’m a Muslim from Offa, Kwara State.
Q: What was your journey through Crescent University like?
A: Crescent University was an insight to what the real world would be like. I have never been one to explore outside my living boundaries. I have never schooled away from home, so spending four years with occasional trips back home made me understand how life is. Crescent University taught me how to be independent amongst other things.
Also, co-living with people from other spheres of life raised my tolerance level, meeting new people with new ideas.
Q: What influenced your decision to study Accounting?
A: Asides from the fact that my dad is also an Accountant, I also enjoy handling calculations relating to financial matters. So, I decided to go for it.
Q: How did you achieve being the 2020/2021 best graduating student?
A: Well, it wasn’t planned, but I achieved this through God, commitment, dedication and hard work.
Q: Which was your best course, and which was your toughest?
A: I enjoyed doing all my Accounting related courses, and the course I found quite challenging was one of the borrowed courses from Law department; Business Law. This was because, unlike our normal calculative courses, it was different from what I was used to. After I got familiar with it however, it was a breeze.
Q: Who is your best Lecturer?
A: I find all my Lecturers amazing, so it's quite impossible to pick the best. Each one of them did their best in ensuring impacting academic excellence.
Q: How do you study?
A: I mostly study during day, because I need my beautiful sleep at night. I don’t study every day, but I get an average of 2-3 hours of studying.
Q: How has the proprietor’s vision of academic and moral excellence influenced you throughout your stay?
A: The proprietor’s(Judge Bola Ajibola's) vision of Crescent University is to train students to be fearful of God and still perform excellently well in academics. Crescent University has been a citadel of moral and academic excellence with their aim to ensure that one is found worthy in character and learning. Constant reminder that putting God above everything has influenced my stay in the school as I’m always reminded that putting God first yields amazing results.
Q: What is your next prospect from here?
My next prospect from here is to pursue my professional qualification to be chartered accountant and getting my master’s degree.
Q: Do you have a suitor?
No, I do not have a suitor.
Q: Your advice to the upcoming graduates
My advice to them would be, wherever life puts you, make sure to stand out, always endeavor and strive to be unique. Discover yourself and be open to changes, don’t shy away from mistakes, learn and most importantly, remember to pray.
Q: Crescent University has produced more females with first class than males. In your assessment, what is responsible for this?
A: Well, not to be gender biased, but academic excellence is a result of hard work. In a university that ensures students are equal and no preferential treatment is given to any student regardless of gender, having more first class female students than male students simply is a matter of saying females dedicate more time to reading and this is in no way an insult to the male counterpart.
The university provides a fair ground for each gender and it’s a good thing that females have realized that they can partake in academic activities and they’re seizing the opportunity.