Pastor’s Son Who Bagged First Class from University of Ibadan Shares His Journey

• Olayinka Babatunde, a 27-year-old graduate of Linguistics from the University of Ibadan, emerged as the best graduating student of Faculty of Arts with a first-class degree
• Despite financial hardships, including his father's illness, Babatunde persevered and excelled academically by strategically navigating his studies and seeking online opportunities
• His story highlights the importance of resilience, adaptability, and support of mentors in achieving academic success

Twenty-seven-year-old Olayinka Babatunde, a graduate of Linguistics from University of Ibadan, has emerged as best graduating student of the Faculty of Arts, achieving a remarkable first-class degree.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH, he shares the challenges and lessons he learned throughout his academic journey, shedding light on how he overcame financial hardships and personal obstacles to achieve academic excellence.

Lessons learned during academic journey

Olayinka Babatunde emphasized the importance of understanding and accommodating diverse people from different backgrounds and orientations.

"The first thing I learnt was to accommodate everybody and to learn to live in unity with people," he said.

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He also highlighted the significance of perseverance and resilience in the face of challenges.

"It’s not over until it’s over because there are a lot of obstacles. There were a lot of challenges, but I reprogrammed my mind in such a way that I needed to always believe that some things could still be done to change the situation."

Babatunde's approach to learning and self-improvement was also a key factor in his success.

He explained, "I learnt to meet and appreciate people who are better than me. Instead of being jealous of people who are better than you, get closer to them and learn from them. By interacting with them, you will gain insights, tactics, and strategies from them that will also improve your life."

Excitement of finishing with a First Class

Reflecting on his academic achievement, Babatunde expressed a mix of excitement and determination.

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"Graduating with a first class from the University of Ibadan is not an easy task. When I realised I was in UI, I had to live up to the standards. Now that I have achieved this academic feat, I want to continue to live up to the bar I’ve raised for myself in all my endeavours. Just like many of my colleagues, while I was rounding off my secondary school education, I wanted to study German. I liked German, and I was learning some stuff about German back then. But when I wanted to come to UI, someone like a brother told me that I should study Linguistics. He said if I went for linguistics, I would be able to study a lot of languages." he stated.

Factors contributing to academic success

Babatunde attributed his success to a combination of determination, strategic learning, and the ability to adapt to challenging circumstances.

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"I had this mindset that it’s not over until it’s over. I didn’t consider giving up. When I had obstacles, I subscribed to the opinions of getting diverse means to overcome them," he explained.

He also emphasized the importance of individualized learning strategies, saying, "I didn’t follow the crowd to do what they did; I sat down to know what was best for me. In terms of choosing courses to borrow or reading formulas to adopt, I did what was best for me. I didn’t do what others chose."

Babatunde's proactive approach to learning also played a significant role in his academic success.

He mentioned, "Whatever we were taught as a topic, I would go online to research about it; and go to YouTube to watch videos. This way, it broadened my knowledge about the topics."

Overcoming financial challenges

Despite his academic prowess, Babatunde faced significant financial challenges.

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"My dad is a pastor, but his major occupation is farming. My mum is also a farmer. I used to go home to get foodstuff or money during the breaks. Sometimes, my dad would call me to ask if I needed anything. When things were difficult at home, I wouldn’t want to demand anything," he shared.

The situation worsened when his father fell ill during his 300-level year, leaving the family unable to provide for him.

In response, Babatunde sought various online opportunities to support himself.

"I learnt about business marketing, copywriting, graphic design, and almost anything you can think of in the online space such as e-commerce, and information marketing. I was looking for money to shoulder my financial responsibilities, to get food, and to pay for my school fees and accommodation," he said.

Support from lecturers

Babatunde also received support from his lecturers, who provided him with opportunities to earn money.

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"I did speech annotation for them. I also did data set annotation. One of my lecturers also recommended me to his friends in the United States to do jobs for them. I used to go to the field to help my lecturers acquire data," he explained.

Graduate bags first class in Economics

Legit.ng reported that a brilliant Nigerian lady graduated from the University of Ibadan (UI) as the best in her class in economics.

She was not only the best in her department but also the top student in her faculty at the university.

The brilliant UI graduate (@lateefahb) received 17 awards in public finance, applied economics, and project analysis, among others.

Source: Legit.ng