Focus over fun: Wisdom Udo’s path to first-class honours

While many students balance lectures with an active social life, Wisdom Udo, a University of Lagos student chose a different path by placing focus over fun, he carved a disciplined route that led to graduating with first-class honours.

Realising that he could not eat his cake and have it, he completely shut down his social life.

“One thing was clear: I did not like the idea of depending totally on my guardians for money, so I needed to keep working to stay afloat. So I basically sacrifice my social life to achieve this feat,” he said.

The multifaceted media professional with expertise in

presentation, content creation, and financial reporting said he was not surprised to have finished with a first class, because right from his primary school, he has always been a high flyer in academics.

To ensure he maintained his success track, he tried so many methods, but the one he used the most would understand the basics of a subject matter.

“I love to relate concepts to the things around me. For instance, I can associate the agenda setting theory with deliberately choosing what I post every day on my WhatsApp status,” he explained.

His routine was mainly built around two places, the classroom and UNILAG TV Studio, since he volunteered for both media.

Like every other life endeavour, he encountered some challenges in the course of his academic trajectory.

According to the talented visual storyteller, the greatest challenge was juggling work and school. “I started working in my second year in school, and ever since then, my result took a downward trajectory.

However, Wisdom was propelled by his guardian who was always there for him, hence, he told himself that the best way he could repay the favour was by graduating with a first class.

“I simply took it upon myself to ensure that I repaid the favour, and another thing was my quest for excellence. I simply believed it was a milestone I needed to achieve since I am the first person among my siblings to attend a tertiary institution,” he said.

Speaking about the high number of first-class graduates produced by universities, emphasising that in the University of Lagos, students have to earn their grades.

“If you take a look at the people who have emerged with first-class lately, on the contrary, a new trend has emerged. UNILAG’s new set of first-class students are well-rounded, who don’t just understand the theoretical aspect, but are graduates who have developed skills even while in school,” he noted.

Wisdom applauds lecturers in the faculty of communication and media studies, describing them as blessings to students, who do not just lecture but also mentor.

“In my third year, my results were practically below my expectations, and one of my lecturers encouraged me to sit up and make my final year count,” he noted.

For life after the campus, he said, “Over the years, my work has revolved around storytelling and health advocacy for women.

“I  look forward to using my storytelling skills to build a career in marketing. I am equally looking to spread the message of ‘early detection saves lives’ in underserved communities through  ShieldHer initiative, a breast cancer NGO I started while I was in school.”

Charles Ogwo is a proactive journalist, driving education, and business innovations for over 10 years.

He leads initiatives leveraging tech to enhance storytelling and build topnotch performing team.

Charles is passionate about harnessing technology to inform, engage and empower communities.

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