school library was my second home –Roselyn Hermans-Efenudu, Landmark University best graduating student

Twenty-one-year-old Hermans-Efenudu Roselyn had a CGPA of 4.9 to emerge the best graduating student of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State. She tells Tunde Ajaja how she was able to achieve this feat

How was your academic performance in your elementary school?

When I was in primary school, I used to be in the bottom five in the class and the only subject I was so good at then was mathematics. I used to score 100 per cent or something close in the subject. My dad became so concerned that he got me many lesson teachers. He even stopped buying things for me because he said he could not be buying things for failures. I felt he was wicked though, so I decided to be serious in Primary Six. From bottom five, I moved to the top three in the class. So I discovered the secret to excellence in academics was to love your subjects.

Did you find it difficult to pass your Secondary School Certificate Examination and the Unified Matriculation Examination?

Caleb International School drilled us to the point that writing SSCE and UME was not a big deal to us. We wrote three mock exams. Reading for SSCE and UME was like revision. I wrote both exams at one sitting and I had no difficulty securing admission.

Why did you choose to study Accounting?

Right from my days in the children’s church, I was the baby treasurer. I loved accounting for church offering and from there I developed a deep love for accounting. I found the idea of balancing and ensuring a true and fair view of monetary figures interesting. I saw accounting as knowing what is required, knowing where to post the figures and to balance the required information with common sense and understanding. I discovered I had natural love for accounting.

When did you start leading your class?

It was in my first year and it was a solid foundation for me. Five of us had 5.0/5.0; three in my department and two from other departments. That was how the race began. However, by God’s grace, in my second year, I had the highest CGPA till graduation. The lowest grade I had was 4.84. I won’t forget that.

Which other course would you have loved to study if you were not offered Accounting?

All I have ever dreamt of studying was Accounting. If I hadn’t been offered the course, I would have tried other schools and if they had insisted I change my course, I would have sought admission outside the country. It is what I have always wanted to study and my parents agreed with my choice and were ready to support me to any level.

Did you take any decision when you got to school that eventually helped you in your academics?

My major decisions were to study hard, graduate with a first class in my field, take every course as important, take things seriously and obey school rules in order not to have disciplinary cases in my file. My decision to be the best got a boost when I read in the newspaper about the best graduating student of Covenant University towards the end of my first year.

How did your parents encourage or reward your good performance?

Once I started doing well in school, they showered me with love, sent me on holiday trips, got me anything I wanted that was reasonable to them and even gave me excess pocket money. When I was in

300 Level, my parents bought a car for me and promised to get a new one for me after graduation.

What was your typical day like as an undergraduate?

Most people would call my day boring. I would wake up in the morning and go for devotion, go for lectures, study during my free periods, then after classes I would go to the cafeteria, then to the library and return to the hostel by 9:30pm and then sign the roll call, talk to friends a bit and off to bed again. Usually, I slept between 11pm and 5am and read an average of seven to eight hours in a day.

Does that mean you were not social?

My social life was complicated because I didn’t have time to socialise the way people I knew wanted me to. I will not say they found me boring but I was unavailable most of the time because I sacrificed my daytime for studying. I attended all compulsory gatherings and those I felt were essential to me. I had leisure times, but it was usually after examination.

How often did you use the library?

The library was like my second home. I spent every free period in the college library, even if it was one hour, to avoid distractions. During examination period, I could be in the library from morning till night and maybe take short breaks to eat and walk around.

When was the best time for you to read?

I tried to read all I could during the day because I loved having a good night rest. However, during examination period, finding me was so easy because I would be in the library. Going out with friends was not an option because I had time for only my books. I studied so hard during exam as if I had never read the book before. I tried my possible best to sleep in the night, so as not to be too tired and be able to reason well in the exam hall.

Did you have any challenge(s) in school?

I’m indeed proud of my school. I realised that the things that I would have seen as challenges were all the right ingredients needed for a serene learning environment and inform me of my role in the society as a pathfinder. There was no peer pressure because Bishop David Oyedepo always told us that evil communication corrupts good manners, so God helped me to identify the right friends who had like passion.

How did you handle gestures from men?

It is natural for everybody to want to associate with brilliant and intelligent people. It is simply relating with them when you are available. Only available people are open to disturbance from male students. As for me, I was always too occupied to notice any disturbance.

Can you still remember your happiest moment?

Apart from when I gave my speech as the best graduating student, another such moment was during my matriculation. I did an exhibition of the jewellery I made and Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor Faith Oyedepo came to my table and had a chat with me, and then I presented a gift to Mama.

What are your plans and aspirations?

My plan is to be a Chartered Accountant, go for my Master’s degree in Finance. It is my ultimate race to becoming an investment banker and a chartered accountant, which has always been my dream.

Were you told stories of how difficult it could be to have a First Class?

Yes, I was told that it takes diligence to attain a first class but I was never told it was not attainable. It affected me, because I had the understanding right from the foundation that first class does not come easy and that university was going to be a life of sacrifice and not only hard work but also right work.

Where would you like to work?

I would love to work in an investment bank or an accounting firm like Bank of America.

What would be your advice to students?

For students to have excellent results, possibility mentality, hard work, right work, and trusting in the Lord are essential ingredients, and they are all nothing without God.

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