Ex-LAUTECH students leader emerged overall best graduating student 2019/2020 set
Olamide Olabiyi, a former Students Union leader and Electoral Chairman at LAUTECH Ogbomoso has emerged overall Best Graduating student of the 2019/2020 set, Mouthpiece NGR reports.
He was also the Best Graduating Student of the department of Pure and applied Physics 2019/2020 set and also Best Graduating Student of the faculty of Pure and applied Sciences 2019/2020.
In his narration on Sunday, Olabiyi said “From F to First. This is my story. Maybe I should just call myself a comeback maestro, just maybe.”
“I gained admission into the university in some sort of bizarre circumstance as I had just obtained the post UTME form back then without choosing the institution for JAMB application. I accepted the offer and made it a point of goal to be the best in my given course as that has always been my driving force to be the best I can be even in the smallest of things (Little thing is little thing, but faith in little thing is a greater thing). With the zeal and determination, I was raring to go and the journey began.”
“It started in the most awkward of ways upon collecting my first semester year 1 result where I saw a F in my MTH 101 course, not just an ordinary F but 18F. I would not forget this score so easily. I was ready to retake the course after I began to concede to the grade as I could remember I had earlier gone to the department to check the score sheet to ascertain the score, and could remember vividly that I had some technical glitches during the test and examination of the particular course.”
“I opened up to one of my academic mentors, Ayodeji Adebiyi who proffered an headway and advised me on way to go since the F was like an outlier in that particular result. I wrote a letter duly signed by the appropriate bodies and submitted to the ICT department requesting for the result of that particular course. Lo and behold, in few weeks time I got a response from the ICT department that told me that the earlier sent result was just my test score as my examination score had not been added to it. It was my first comeback moment in school, as my grade in that particular course changed from F to A after the addition of my examination score.”
“Like that was not enough to welcome a freshman into the University, I had another bitter occurrence again in the second semester of year 2 with 7 days to the commencement of the examination of that semester. For those familiar with the department of Pure and applied Physics, the second semester of year 2 is generally known to be the most tedious of semesters in the department as there are several borrowed courses from outside of the department that included three MTH and three Mechanical Engineering courses. Seven days to the commencement of the exam, death played a fast one as I lost my mom(may her soul rest in peace) and my entirety almost felt meaningless to me. I rose again and sat for my exams and had As in all of the courses borrowed outside of the department that semester and it happened to be the best result in my class for that semester. That was God compensating my struggles so far, it was evident.”
“In year 3, I began to look for ways to make positive impacts in my immediate surrounding and leave a good footprint in the lives of friends and colleagues. I was elected as the class representative to oversee the affairs of the class (TED’19) . It is good to say that, my position as the class rep was one that God actually blessed as the regime and administration was blessed with successes and the class became a class to beat not just in the department, nor in the faculty, but in the school at large.”
“While I was beginning to get saddled with various responsibilities in school, leadership responsibilities from home were not far away as well. In the second semester of my year 3, I became the president of the Ibadan Central Deanery Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria. It was not easy shuffling between school and home for responsibility sake as I had to keep up and still not forget my primary assignment which was my study.”
“In the second semester of year 3 as well, I was appointed as the set coordinator of my classmates in the Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students to oversee the affairs of the set (The Pioneers) and always put things in place. My school journey was beginning to get a direction of selfless service to persons around me and thus birthed my motto which I began to use back then that says “…in service to humanity”. My life began to be in service to people and God proved that again in my year 4.”
“I was beginning to contemplate on aspiring for the presidential position of the department’s association. I was still consulting and sampling opinions from my classmates if I should go and contest when God brought a bigger platform to my doorstep at home. I was at home for a particular leg treatment when I received a call on the 16th of March, 2019 that my attention is needed at Student affairs department and I should report first thing on Monday morning.”
“I travelled down and reported as instructed, just to get to the office and I was told the school has just appointed nine of us on the basis of the best student in each of the faculties to form a Students’ Union executive caretaker committee which would interface between the school management and the student populace as the Student Union Government had just been proscribed. I was so shocked and amazed with a spice of fear as I did not think I was ready for such a big assignment. Yes, I was thinking of becoming the president of the National Association of Physics Students but that is not as big as being in a central executive Council of the students’ union. That was the very first time I knew I was the best student as at then in my faculty.”
“In a brief meeting with some professors and principal officers before our inauguration as the Students’ Union leaders, there was need to appoint a Chairman among the nine of us to champion the course and that was going to be based on the best result among the nine of us. How do you feel when you are in a live competition and it is right there in your face? I was tensed as I began to hope I was not going to be the best so I don’t get to take charge of that big mantle of being the head of the union. Our CGPA were announced to us all, lo and behold, I was privileged to have the greater CGPA amongst the 9 of us and immediately I was announced as the Head of the Students’ Union Executive Caretaker Committee. On the 18th of March, 2019 in the first semester of the 2018/2019 academic session, I was inaugurated as the Head of the students’ Union body together with other members.”
“If you think to be the best is strenuous, try maintaining and keeping that best position when you become aware of it. It is way way more tasking to maintain success. The workload on me began to increase exponentially, it was like I have not been doing anything in school right till that period as I began to get more engaging and involved in activities as a result of my new position. I was doing this together with all of my other posts. I use this medium to appreciate my assistant class rep, Awe Damola for stepping up and coming through to ease the burden on me by making sure nothing is out of place in my class. I began to put in double of the efforts I was putting into study prior to my appointment to make sure my primary assignment is not jeopardised at the expense of my responsibility as the union head. At some point, I felt like resigning but then it became evident to me that there was no going back and I was not ready to put my name to shame.”
“At this point, I sat down one day and thought to myself that if I happen to be the best of the best students across all the 9 faculties that has made me the chairman. Does that mean I am the best student in my set? I did not allow that get into my head and then I made a vow that to know this, I must make sure I have nothing less than A in all the courses that were left for me to offer from then on. If I can do that, then I can wait to see what comes out of it. This was the moment where my orientation and my goal changed from aspiring to be the best in my department to being the best in my entire set. In the second semester of the 2018/2019 academic session, I had to go for Industrial training and then the student union government became reinstated. I was so happy that I would now have a free life and face my primary assignment squarely.”
“Fast forward to resumption to my final year, year 5 in the 2019/2020 academic session. I resumed school and began my normal lifestyle as an ex head of the students’ union. It was not even up to five days that I was in my room having a peaceful life that the school management sent a mail on the 13th of December, 2019 in the first semester of the 2019/2020 academic session that the proposed Students’ union election is postponed till further notice and the “Olabiyi Olamide Anthony-led Caretaker Committee” will be in charge of the student union activities until further notice. I was filled with mixed feelings as I did not want to go back to that stressful and more demanding lifestyle. But then, what could I do to the instruction to carry on. I assumed the position fully this time around as it was evident that myself and my committee would actually complete the 2019/2020 academic session as the students’ Union executives. I am not here to tell you about the feats and strides achieved during that administration. That is well covered in my handing over report.”
“Just as vowed, I was able by God’s grace to complete my program with As in all of my courses from the moment I restructured my goal. I finished my program with First class in all of my ten semesters, and a 5.0 GPA in five of those ten semesters. And on this day one month ago, the determination paid off, the resolve paid off, the efforts and sacrifices paid off. Above all, the pains and struggles were compensated by God with those laurels.”
“Yes, I think I just wrote a book. just had to do this to encourage you and let you know that truly truly, there is no glory without a story.”
I am Olamide Anthony Olabiyi, a first class graduate of the department of Pure and applied Physics and Overall best Graduating student of the 2019/2020 set of the prestigious Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso Oyo State.
It is worthy of note to let you know that “the road to excellence is still under construction”.
Olabiyi, who is fondly addressed by friends and colleagues as number One student and “Scholar” expressed his full appreciation to God for blessing his small goal with this as he return all the glory to Him.
“I dedicate these laurels to my Dad and Mom (of blessed memories), to my siblings, my family, to the Pioneers (specially dedicated to late Nifemi Asefon), to members of the Einstein Dynasty TED’19 (specially dedicated to late Olatoyosi Agnes), to all the fallen ones of the 2019/2020 set during the course of our stay on campus, to Matthew Lucky Okere, and to all my friends.”
“I already got used to hearing my name being called more than three times right from primary school to Junior secondary school to Senior secondary school on graduation and valedictory ceremonies’ days. But then, this felt fulfilling as I am able to attach more meanings to the feat.”