Home My twin sister always poured water on me to read–Kehinde Babaagba SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 BY TUNDE AJAJA Kehinde Babaagba Kehinde Babaagba, 21, was the best graduating student of Redeemers University, Mowe, Ogun State, with a 4.96/5.00 CGPA from the Department of Computer Science in the 2012/2013 academic session. She tells TUNDE AJAJA about her experience in school You and your twin sister, Taiwo, had a first class, were you both genius or was it just hard work? I really don’t know if it runs in the family. Our dad also finished with a first class in his time, so, I believe we are products of God’s grace. We were very hardworking too but we were not the most studious, so God made it possible. We have always had shared interests, shared disposition to academic and spiritual matters, to the extent of joining ourselves in shedding tears when either of us was punished in our elementary school days. Did you dream to be a computer scientist? Honestly, I had always dreamt of being a pilot, and somewhere in my youthful mind, I used to have this rather funny idea of being a jet bomber, which I clearly dropped or outgrew over time. I guess I played too much of games then. Well, I have always loved Engineering, especially Electrical/ Electronics, but my school was not offering it then, so the closest to it that I could choose was Computer Science. I used to have some interest in computers too but I never paid enough attention to it until during my admission process. So, God ordered my steps along that path eventually. Have you always been ahead in your previous classes? I have always strived to be the best even though I was not very studious. I had good grades from my childhood. God gave me the grace to assimilate things faster so I didn’t have to carry books along all the time or read for 24 hours to be excellent. I took my examinations seriously, wrote my Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and University Matriculation Examination once but not with exceptionally fantastic results. But I am grateful to God that I did not have to rewrite any paper or exam. I had ‘A’ in three subjects, B in four subjects and C in two subjects. So, I had no problem with admission because my results were good enough to secure an admission into any school of my choice. More so, my parents preferred a private university for me, so I didn’t go through the ordeals involved in securing admission in a public school. How was your growing up? I had a normal experience. I started school about the same time as my peers. By the grace of God, my background enabled me to have some comfort, so I had the necessities and a few luxuries occasionally, and I enjoyed the encouragement of family members and loved ones. Can you remember taking any strong decision that helped you? One of my earnest desires as a child was to be at my best all the time. So, pilot or no pilot, jet bomber or no jet bomber, I had it in mind that the top that is reserved for God’s children is for me, and that influenced my decisions. Very early in life, I learnt that it pays to serve Jesus, so, I served in the Chapel’s workforce and I never regretted it. Does it mean it was in your plan to be the best graduating student in your set? It was not a deliberate plan initially. I just wanted to be the best possible. I heard stories of how difficult it could be to graduate with a first class, but it didn’t deter me; I just believed God would make my story different. During an award ceremony in my 200L, I was the best in my college and one of my lecturers told me that if I could do more or work harder, I could be the best in my set. I worked towards that. It was not easy though, in fact, I see it as a privilege and God’s favour to have come out with such grade. Did you do anything differently from others? I don’t think so. The sacrifices that I made were what every student who wanted an exceptional result would make, coupled with God’s grace. I converted some of my leisure time to my study hour. I studied hard, turned in my assignments on time, and handled all my courses as if all of them were five units each. I dissociated myself from bad association and believed in God. Then, I do not compare myself with others and I learnt to be accountable and always strike a balance in all that I do. So, when did you start leading your class? Since my first year. Understandably, I encountered some challenges in my first year, because the course I was offered was not what I really wanted, so adjusting to it was an initial challenge, Then, striking the balance between my spiritual, academic and social life posed different challenges but I thank God I scaled through. My performance as a first year student was just a miracle because I didn’t expect to do so well but God singled me out for His favour and for that I am eternally grateful. To have graduated with a 4.96 CGPA means you had close to 5.00 throughout. Do you still remember what your results were from 100L to 400L? In my 100L first semester, I had 4.91, second semester – 4.83; in 200L, I had 5.00 in first and second semesters; 300L first semester – 4.96, second semester – 5.00 and in 400L I had 5.00 in first and second semesters. For my CGPAs, I had 4.87 in 100L, 4.94 in 200L, 4.95 in 300L and 4.96 in 400L. That was brilliant, more so, for you to remember everything offhand. What was your lowest grade? I once had a C in a Chemistry course in my 100L second semester. I shed tears after the exam because I knew I didn’t answer the required number of questions just because I didn’t read the instruction very well, so I trusted God for a miracle, which happened. Were you involved in other school activities? I was involved in some school activities such as debate and quiz competitions. I was a chorister and a member of the chapel executives. If you were involved in many other things, what time was best for you to study? I studied mostly during the daytime and slept a lot in the night. When I discovered I was not a nocturnal (night-loving) person, I made good use of my daytime. I was involved in a lot of activities, so I wasn’t reading all the time but I did quality studying too. I planned what to read daily and I would not stop until I had covered all I apportioned for that day. My twin sister also helped. Even though we were not roommates, we were together most of the time. She used to join others to pour water on my body to make sure I woke up to read. She did all she could to encourage me and I love her for that. So, you were not using the library? I went to the library occasionally, mostly to borrow books. I don’t like the library environment for reading because it was usually too quiet and serious. When I’m reading, I try to talk to myself and create pictures in my imagination, which I can’t do in a library. Usually, I read in the comfort of my room; seriously committed to my books coupled with the quiet environment, with no prying eyes or meddling in people’s affairs. Usually, brilliant students don’t engage in social activities. Were you social? I only attended social gatherings that would impart me personally and I had a good relationship with friends and others, even though with discretion. I had a number of male friends, more so because most of my colleagues were males, but there was nothing beyond being friends. Was there any peer pressure? God helped my twin sister and me to select friends with similar vision, values and way of life. When people know what you stand for, it helps to determine what comes to you, which helped us, so, there was no unusual negative pressure from our peers. Did your parents reward you for your performance? I thank God for my wonderful parents, who supported and encouraged me in many ways, with their counsel, investment in cash, gifts, unending love and their presence at important phases of my life, among many other things. Can you recall your happiest and most embarrassing moments in school? I had some happy and few embarrassing moments. Happy moments for me were award ceremonies; I won some of them, concerts, and exciting chapel programmes and so on. One really embarrassing moment for me was a time I broke down in tears over the exam that didn’t go so well. What are your future plans? I am currently undergoing my National Youth Service, after which I will go for my Masters. I will further my education and would like to remain in the academia because I have passion for lecturing. I used to teach some of my friends and colleagues in school, which they understood, and I was a Sunday school teacher, so through those platforms, I was convinced I would be a good teacher. In general, I want to contribute my own quota to the field of Computer Science. Would you still like to be a pilot? Well, I lost the dream along the line but I have a new dream now, which is to do a lot of research, which being in the academia would afford me. What would you advise students, both the incoming and those already in school, to do to have an excellent result? Students should put God first in all they do, remain determined and focused, shun bad company, study very hard and take life seriously.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 04:00:45 +0000
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