"Find Balance": Best Student in Class from Primary School To University Shares Tricks that Worked
- Uchenna Emelife is a graduate who achieved remarkable academic feats, topping his class as well as engaging in numerous literary activities
- Emelife credits his family and talks about how he balances his academics with his extracurricular activities
- He reaps the benefits of his hard work, such as scholarships, awards, and recognition, and shares his advice for other students who want to achieve academic excellence
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Once Uchenna Emelife realizes that excellence is an important part of the journey, he does not stop there but continues to pursue higher standards.
A graduate of Literature in English at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria, Uchenna has achieved remarkable academic feats at every level of his education, topping his class from primary school to university.
Source: Original
He was the best-graduating student in Literature in English and one of the top 20 influential graduates of his school. He also received the Federal Government Award for Academic Excellence in 2022, among others.
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In this exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Emelife shares his inspiring story of academic success and social advocacy.
A family that values education
Emelife credits his family as the primary source of his motivation to excel in his studies.
He comes from a family that prioritizes academic excellence and expects the best from their children. His mother is a teacher, and his father is a trader, and they both instilled in him the importance of hard work and discipline.
“My parents have always been very concerned about how we do in school; my mum is a teacher and my Dad, a trader and their combination is sort of an anchor toward hardwork in our academics and that extends to me. So when I study, I’m least concerned about outshining my peers but meeting up with the expectations of my family. My Dad also expects the best of us that it somehow got us to aspire to the extraordinary,” he said.
Emelife also had the support and guidance of his older siblings, who were high achievers in their respective fields.
He told Legit.ng:
"The steps have been laid already by my siblings. Like me, they topped their classes across academic levels. In 2019, my eldest sister, Stella Chinelo Amagbor (née Emelife) trended for breaking a 100+ year record in University of Mysore India with the highest CGPA obtained by a student for her Master's program. And that was 4 years after breaking a similar record as the overall best graduating student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, 2015. My second sister, Jennifer Chinenye Emelife is a PHD student at the University of Toronto and was recently invited to speak at a conference in Harvard. My third sister, Emelife Emmanuella Chioma also finished as the best graduating student of the Biological sciences department before switching to a now thriving financial consulting career with KPMG."
A balance between academics and extracurricular activities
Emelife did not only excel in his academics but also in his extracurricular activities.
He was actively involved in literary advocacy and community development projects, such as a literary organisation that hosts a literary blog, book clubs, and a bookstore, Book'o'clock where he served as the director and Pen Press UDUS, a campus paper he edited for three years.
However, balancing his academics and extracurricular activities was not always easy.
He said he faced some challenges and struggles, especially in the university, where he had to cope with a different and unfamiliar system.
"I set my priorities right. I love to excel and the only way to do so is by burying your head in a book so I did just that. At the other end of my life, is how much I love to contribute to the growth of a community through social advocacy and the only way I could do so was to be in the field doing the work, so I did just that too. How then did I find a balance? I ensured that neither sides of my life suffered."
Emelife did not compromise on his studies but did not neglect his other interests and passions.
He also said he surrounded himself with people who shared his vision and goals and that helped him stay accountable and motivated.
“I found balance, you can say. But there were moments it was a struggle but like everything else, you don’t stay down when you fall, you pick yourself up and give it another go and you just keep doing that,” he said.
A rewarding journey of academic excellence
Emelife said he was grateful for the opportunities and benefits that his academic excellence brought him. He received recognition and appreciation from his teachers, mentors, and peers.
Emelife said he was grateful for the opportunities and benefits that his academic excellence brought him.
“That you reached out to me is a benefit in itself and I thank you. The benefits are immeasurable. Getting good grades gets you out of a lot of scrutiny and I hope among your audience are undergrad students who should see this. There are grander opportunities I have earned as a result. For instance, in 2022, I was selected for the Federal Government Award for Academic Excellence, an award that comes with a pretty decent honorarium. I am certain more honors will come as I intend to keep up the record,” he said.
He also shared his advice for students who want to achieve academic excellence.
“First of all, know that it’s very possible and worth it. Take lectures very seriously and give it your best attention. Read your books as cliche as it may sound. Develop a good reading plan, one that’s tailored to you, not one that’s used elsewhere. This means you have to be able to study yourself and then do what works for you,” he said.
Emelife is a shining example of academic excellence and social advocacy. He has shown that with hard work, discipline, passion, and balance, one can achieve remarkable feats and make a difference in the world.
Lady who finished with First Class and best graduating student at FUNAAB speaks
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Tijani Oluwatoyin Naheemah is a young woman who has overcome many challenges and achieved academic excellence.
She is the Overall Best Graduating Student of the 2020/2021 academic session at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), where she studied Nutrition and Dietetics.
She graduated with a CGPA of 4.90/5.0, making her one of the outstanding students to attain such a feat in the university's history.
Source: Legit.ng
