Meet Ofure Ebhomielen, the best graduating student of Faculty of science and the first female student to graduate with a perfect CGPA of 7.0 from the University Of Ibadan.
MOST PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW WHO YOU ARE. CAN YOU TELL US 7 THINGS NO ONE ELSE KNOWS ABOUT YOU?
Oh my… Let me see. I think my close friends might know one or two of these, but here they are:
1. Many people think I am a science whiz, a tech lady and an outright nerd (I mean, how else would one finish with a 7.0). The reality is… I’m more inclined towards the arts. I literally looooovvvve the arts. Fine art was my best subject in secondary school and anything close to drawing, design or creative work, fascinates me. In fact, I have gone to an interior design school, made enquiries to start painting classes, thought a lot about transitioning to a (User Interface) UI design role, I have mad interest in photography and video editing, I’ve thought of running around behind the scenes trying to ensure quality film production, of being a film maker, a DJ or even a movie director .
2. I’m fearful of being out alone in the dark. I actually look back every two seconds if I’m walking alone at night and become panicky when someone is walking behind me. And if the place is really dark, I think I’d rather pee in my pants than walk through that path.
3. I want to own/manage an auto repair shop.
4. I think waayyy too much. I’m aware that it is unhealthy and somewhat crippling, but I can’t help it.
5. I once nursed the idea of dropping out of Computer Science to study Architecture because I believed I was going to be the next Frank Lloyd Wright
6. I don’t have a best colour, best food, ‘best friend’, best song, best restaurant, best book, yadayada. I mean, out of all the goodies in this world, why would I single one out and give it special attention . Nah… We only live once and I just let openness and curiosity lead the way. I have lotsss of favourites though.
7. Is my best number.
2. I’m fearful of being out alone in the dark. I actually look back every two seconds if I’m walking alone at night and become panicky when someone is walking behind me. And if the place is really dark, I think I’d rather pee in my pants than walk through that path.
3. I want to own/manage an auto repair shop.
4. I think waayyy too much. I’m aware that it is unhealthy and somewhat crippling, but I can’t help it.
5. I once nursed the idea of dropping out of Computer Science to study Architecture because I believed I was going to be the next Frank Lloyd Wright
6. I don’t have a best colour, best food, ‘best friend’, best song, best restaurant, best book, yadayada. I mean, out of all the goodies in this world, why would I single one out and give it special attention . Nah… We only live once and I just let openness and curiosity lead the way. I have lotsss of favourites though.
7. Is my best number.
ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE QUITE AWARE OF YOUR ACADEMIC MILESTONES. HOW COME YOU’RE SO SMART?
To be honest, I don’t exactly consider myself to be so smart, I think I was able to map out a plan that worked for me.
What I can say is that I understood my kind of person and I knew that in order to maintain the CGPA I started with, I had to be completely immersed in each course I was taking and try to understand the course at a broad level before diving into the specifics. So I’d say that I had a special relationship with each course and we lived happily ever after. Well, that was until some of them fell into oblivion.
What I can say is that I understood my kind of person and I knew that in order to maintain the CGPA I started with, I had to be completely immersed in each course I was taking and try to understand the course at a broad level before diving into the specifics. So I’d say that I had a special relationship with each course and we lived happily ever after. Well, that was until some of them fell into oblivion.
HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO BALANCE YOUR SOCIAL LIFE WITH YOUR ACADEMIC LIFE AND STILL COME OUT UNSCATHED?
All work and no play makes Ofu a dull girl. I mean, I couldn’t possibly do academics 24/7, that’s just a recipe for being a social disaster.
I’m more of an introverted person, so my idea of a social life was being able to take out time to reconnect with myself, take a walk, visit my friends, attend events or workshops and seminars, be a part of organizing committees, take up responsibilities in church, take online courses related to programming, geeking out on Medium, Quora and Flipboard articles, occasionally stepping out of school with friends, trying to listen to podcasts, etc. Basically anything beyond reading my books and going for classes
There were times I had to just take a week-long break from studying and just do another thing that was not academic related (asides going to class though). At every point in my undergraduate years, I was engaged in two or three extracurricular. In as much as some could be time consuming, I think I had a pretty good strategy for balancing things out. There were times I was burned out and I just knew that it was time for a break. There were also times when I had to turn down responsibilities that were handed to me just because I didn’t quite see how I could fit such into my schedule. I’d rather not accept a position than take it and do a shoddy job at it because I am juggling three or four major tasks.
In a nutshell, I was able to identify that my acads was primary. When I perceived that other things were getting in the way, I had to calm down with others or increase time spent on academics
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EXCITING AND MOST DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCES YOU’VE HAD AS AN UNDERGRADUATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN?
Hmm… Here we go with ‘bests’. So you want me to pick a particular experience over all the others. I’ll try.
I would say that everytime I had to do something beyond myself, I found it exciting. When I had to volunteer to give a talk at a boot camp organized by my coursemate to teach kids how to code, I was thrilled, especially after seeing their enthusiasm. When I headed a cultural day planning event in church and got awesome feedback, I was happy. When I had to explain or tutor some of my coursemates on things that were not so clear and they understood afterwards, I was elevated. It delighted me when I had the opportunity to make someone feel good about themselves and I was able to.
As for disappointing experiences, the one that stands out the most is when I was robbed at knife-point in the night on my way to the hostel. I was even still trying to fight for myself and my property when his knife cut into my arm. It left a huge scar on my right arm. It was particularly disappointing because that dude could have been a student of UI and he has no better way of making money than frightening girls with a pocket knife.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A FEMINIST?
I would not like to attach a label to my beliefs and practices, but I’m all for equality and the empowerment of both genders.
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU LOOK A LOT LIKE ADICHIE. IS SHE YOUR ROLE MODEL?
Ah… Chimamanda. I get a lot of people walking up to me or chatting me up and they are like “Omg… You look a lot like Chimamanda. Are you in any way related to her?“
I admire her a lot. One, because a close friend of mine is totally in awe of her, watches all her talks, reads all her books, follows her interviews, etc. I think she has a Chimamanda folder on her laptop. So yeah, the love for Chim became infectious, and well, I caught the ‘Chim flu‘.
I admire her a lot. One, because a close friend of mine is totally in awe of her, watches all her talks, reads all her books, follows her interviews, etc. I think she has a Chimamanda folder on her laptop. So yeah, the love for Chim became infectious, and well, I caught the ‘Chim flu‘.
I admire the way she is able to voice out her beliefs with close to zero worry about what the world thinks. I admire her bravery, her sense of humour and her efforts to empower the female gender.
Source: Tell.com.ng
