Female Student of Unilag
(Adetutu Wande) Graduates With
1st Class Graduate (Interview)
20-yrs-old Female Student
of Unilag (Adetutu Wande)
Graduates With 1st Class
Graduate (Interview)
Adetutu Wande-Kayode’s is our
model today, she has broken
record in her Department, and to
think she is so young… She a
student of University of Lagos,
Unilag, where she study Mass
Communication.
Her dad died when she was
barely four years old, but this
was not enough to kill her quest
for academic excellence.
She tells LEKE BAIYEWU how she
broke the Department of Mass
Communication’s record to
graduate with a first class from
the University of Lagos
Picture of Wande Kayode
Article Source: The Interview you
are going to read below is culled
from Punch Newspaper Online,
http://www.punchng.com/
boyfriends-cause-emotional-
disturbance-20-year-old-first-
class-graduate
How difficult was it for you to
step out of the shadows of
disappointment early in life?
I am the last child in a family of
six. My father had a degree in
demography from the then
University of Ife (now Obafemi
Awolowo University), while my
mother studied Mathematics and
Statistics at the Kwara State
Polytechnic.
Significant to my growing up
experience was my dad’s death
while I was four years old. My
mother was very strong through
those years and through her, I
learnt to trust in God from
childhood. My mother, out of her
caring attitude resigned from her
banking job before my dad’s
death, when she noticed we
were not doing so well in school.
After my father’s death, rather
than returning to her banking
job, she felt we needed her more
than ever before. Even though it
appeared to be one of the most
ridiculous things to do at that
time, God really used her to
ensure that we all had a very
good upbringing.
She chose to be her own boss in
order to spend more time with
her children.
She is 50 now and her happiness
is that we are all graduates of
various universities.
When did it dawn on you that
you have special academic
talent?
Learning comes naturally to me
although there is a reason for
that. I went through three
primary schools in Ilorin and
Lagos States before completing
my primary education at Fun Bell
Nursery and Primary School,
Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos. I can
remember that almost everything
learnt was through songs and
we had to sing so many of them
on the assembly ground each
morning.
I was not comfortable with it
because it was different from the
background I had in Ilorin but I
adjusted in a short time.
Those things actually helped
because all the formulas I had to
remember in examinations were
the lyrics ofthe songs, so I only
had to recall the songs to get the
formulas. Soon, they started
coming naturally whenever I
wanted to remember anything
learnt in the classroom.
At Government Junior College,
Agege, Lagos State, I was the
assistant senior prefect and
became the senior prefect during
my senior secondary school days.
These were public schools and
there I learnt to hold my own in
the midst of different people
with different family
backgrounds. It was quite an
experience!
What were the challenges you
experienced when you got to
university before you clocked
16?
My journey to the university
wasnot difficult because I
prepared for the transition. I had
seven distinctions and two
credits while I was in SS2 and
scored 271 in the University
Matriculation Examination (now
Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination) while in my final
secondary class. I also scored 80
per cent in the UNILAG’s post-
UME test.
Apart from personal effort, my
siblings, who had been in
UNILAG shared their experiences
with me and their
encouragement made my
admission process faster. My
name came out on the merit list
for the 2008/2009 academic
session. I was barely 16.
I faced tougher competition at
the university because I was no
longer a ‘local champion’ as I
used to be. Every secondary
school’s bests were well
represented and I faded fast into
the background. I had no hostel
accommodation and was living
with fellow coursemates in them.
There were various social groups
but I had no interest. There
weremany things going on in the
school that I considered as
distractions, so I kept to my
studies and it helped me regain
my confidence that I could be
thebest again.
How did you handle
pressurefrom your friends to
join them in social activities?
As a child, I was trained to be
independent. So despite my
young age, I knew how to take
decisions on my own and
maintain my position. At UNILAG,
many ladies received more
telephone calls between 7pm
and 11pm and to which the
common response was, “Are you
downstairs? Okay, I’m coming.”
From there, they went out with
some guys and only return
around midnight when the gates
to the hostels were about to be
closed.
The fresh students were
particularly more willing to
explore freedom but I was not, in
the least, swayed. Eventually, by
the time first semester results
were out, I topped my class and
by then many others learnt their
lessons. Of course, I learnt so
many new things too. The
importance of networking was
one of them.
Did you have a boyfriend
oncampus or anywhere?
No, I did not have a boyfriend on
campus or anywhere else.
But you must have noticed some
interest from some guys in the
school?
I saw nothing wrong in having a
boyfriend anyway, but I thought
Iwas too young for serious
relationship. I knew I still had
enough time on my hands. So,
there was really no need to rush
into it. I believed that having
one,especially in the early years
of my education, might have
being asource of distraction.
It would mean obligatory
outings; constant
communication and probably
emotional disturbance; being in
the library for six hours and
concentrating for only two
hours; reading at the pace of
two pages per hour and all the
other hindrances. It would have
had a negative effect on my
effectiveness as a student,
especially as it would mean I
would have to share my time;
time that was ever fleeting.
Did you actually study hard for
the purpose of leaving as the
best student?
I wanted to be the best and I
worked towards it but more
importantly, I did not want to
disappoint my mother who told
me that I would graduate with
the best result in my department.
I did the most important thing,
which was to pray. I can still
remember one heart-felt prayer
Isaid, just before resumption,
while studying and God was
faithful.
I chose Mass Communication
because I wanted to affect the
world by my write-ups. I
particularly want to write and
change lives.
Actually, my sister also studied
Mass Communication in UNILAG
and she once came home to
inform everyone that there had
been no full-time student with a
First Class in 30 years or
thereabout in the department.
Knowing my intention to study
Mass Communication in the same
university, my mother said with
an air of confidence, “Tutu will
go and break the record.” My
elder brother had also told
everyone who cared to listen and
I did not want to disappoint
them.
By faith, I knew God really
answers the effective, heartfelt
prayer of righteous men. Hence, I
knew I was going to graduate
with a first class. Many other
people before me were excellent
too but they did not come out
with a first class. I graduated
with a cumulative grade point
average of 4.69 and I was also
the best graduating student in
the department.
How do you feel attaining such
academic feat and what is your
plan for the future?
I am really elated and grateful to
God for He is the lifter of my
head. Much more, I’m grateful
because I didn’t just come out
with good grades. Since I love to
teach and write, I plan to lecture
after my studies and to blog
along with it as well. The
educational sector needs fresh
hands and the blogosphere
needs to be cleared of what I
term ‘vanity blogging.’
Who is your role model?
I have more of mentors than role
models. My mentors are my
mother; Ebimoboere Agbiki of
Fotizo Ministry; and Pastor Isaac
Idowu of the Great Light Ministry.
My mother, because she is such a
beauty inside out; I remember
the assistance she offered when
I had very poor grades in
mathematics in Junior Secondary
School. She took it upon herself
to teach me personally after
school. And then, I went on to
have A1 in SSCE, despite the fact
that I was in arts department.
From her, I have learnt about
sacrifice and I think parents do
not have to work so hard or pay
huge school fees for their
children in order to make them
academically excellent, if only
they can sacrifice their time and
be available for their children
andwards.
So what do you have to say
about Adetutu Wande-Kayode?
We pray God keep granting her
success in her career.
Source: PUNCH
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