I am Oluwadare Opemipo Rebecca, a graduate of the Physics Department in the Faculty of Science. Looking back, my journey through LASU was one of growth, challenges, learning, and self-discovery, with academic pressure and uncertainty that often pushed me outside my comfort zone, and days I stayed at school until night just to study.
Graduating as the Third Overall Best Graduating Student in my department with First Class Honours is what I'm proudest of, representing years of consistency, hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance. I volunteered with different communities and events, particularly in the technology space, and worked on several personal projects exploring Python, data, and an AI-powered document summarizer.
Financial pressure, especially transportation costs, alongside departmental issues and the general weight of balancing academics with personal responsibilities, were my biggest challenges, which I met by taking things one day at a time and leaning heavily on my faith. The power of consistency, discipline, and determination is the lesson that will stay with me for life, I'm capable of more than I sometimes believe.
My family has been my biggest source of inspiration, their sacrifices and belief in me constantly remind me to keep going, even during difficult moments.
My advice to current and incoming students is to give yourself fully to your academics, but don't let academics be the only thing you build during your university years, join communities, volunteer, and learn new skills. As I remind myself often: consistency and determination will get you far.