I am Ferdinand, Emmanuel Somtochukwu, a graduate of the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts. In one word, my journey through LASU was splendid, everything was worthwhile, and looking back, the people I came across are the one thing I'm most grateful for.
The day my poem was accepted for publication, after close to thirty rejections, is what I'm proudest of, it felt like reassurance that I was finally getting somewhere. I was a group leader from 100 to 400 level, Creative Manager of the Ingenious Writers' Society during the 2025 session, and founded a community called Savant of English in 100 level that started with seven people and grew to over 600 students across several departments, alongside joining the Abiola Empowerment Foundation's media team for an outreach event in 2025.
Financial issues, eased with help from my brothers, and time, since my mother's shop kept me busy until late in the evening, were my biggest challenges, which taught me to work with what I had rather than complain about what I lacked. To create opportunities with what I have is the lesson that will stay with me for life. I won Best Student in the Department of English at 200 level and was first runner-up for the Champion Poetry Award outside campus.
My family has been my biggest source of inspiration, I'm grateful to every one of them.
My advice to current and incoming students is to read together with friends, you'll learn things you may not learn alone, and don't be afraid of what you've heard from others, someone else's experience isn't necessarily a reflection of yours. As one of my favourite lines from 3 Idiots reminds me: all is well.