Meet Tosin Odunewu, Faculty best student at Unilag’s 56th convocation

Excellence, dedication, and academic distinction took centre stage at the University of Lagos’ 56th convocation ceremonies as Tosin Odunewu emerged as the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies best graduating student, earning top honours for outstanding academic performance.

Tosin Odunewu, who is the last child of the family, devote Christian, was not surprised to graduate with a first-class, having planned for that from day one of her admission into the university.

“I was not surprised I graduated with a first class. I came into the university with a goal of graduating with a 4.80 anyway. However, I was surprised emerge the best graduating student in my faculty,” she said.

Tosin is someone who values growth, learning, and purpose, and tries to live her life intentionally.

“I love reading. I enjoy anime, and I watch K-dramas a lot. I don’t really like going out except when it involves spending time with my friends or going to church. I enjoy my own company a lot, but I also love being out with my friends,” she explained.

The academic Amazon reveals that her reading method really helped her, as she was reading consistently.

“I tried to read every day if I could, and if not, at least four times a week. Even if it was just 10 minutes a day, I made sure I read something. “I was very active in school, although I wasn’t in many societies, I attended church a lot. I had a lot to do, but it helped keep me grounded because I always had it in my mind that I had to do well academically,” Tosin emphasised.

Tosin noted that one thing going for her was that she could be talking and laughing with people while scrolling through a PDF on her phone.

“Even if I can’t remember everything I read later, at least I have read something, and I noticed that it really helped me.

“I didn’t need to do intense reading at once. Maybe 10 minutes today, 30 minutes tomorrow, and before I knew it, I had finished a full chapter,” she said.

Besides, she revealed that when she had more time on weekends, she would sit down and read the chapter properly. Because she had already skimmed through it during the week, and helped to understand it better. However, she noted, “When I did not feel like reading, I did not force myself. I would just skim through a textbook for five or ten minutes, and that consistency really helped me.”

Speaking about her typical day on campus, she said, for me in school, the day usually starts with waking up around 5:00 or 5:30 a.m.

“I often had a morning meeting at the chapel until about 7:30 a.m. From there, I went to class and headed out. Classes ran until about 4 p.m. After classes, I returned to my hostel to eat. Most days, I had another meeting in the evening and got back to my hostel around 9:30 p.m., sometimes later.

“Because I did not have classes back-to-back, I used the time in between to read, rest, or talk with friends. I did not visit the library because I am not a fan. At night, I talked with my roommate and read before sleeping. That was a typical day for me in school,” she said.

Tosin emphasised that what propelled her was just the need to be excellent. “I have never thought of having a lower grade. It is also an honour to be the first first-class graduate in my family. I wanted my parents to be proud,” she stated.

According to Tosin, what she did differently was realising that her academics were not just in her hands. “I believe that the natural is controlled by things beyond what we can see, so I turned everything over to God. I began to see my academics as a way to please God.

“Around my second or third year, I took my mind off my 4.80 goal. I did not want to go through university with fear or constantly think about rankings or positions. I took that pressure off myself completely and focused on enjoying school, enjoying reading, and learning without fear.”

In addition, she said, “At that point, all I wanted was a first class. I was no longer pressuring myself to be the best. I believe that removing that pressure was what really helped me. In the end, I got a 4.89, and I think letting go of the pressure was the determining factor.”

Speaking about life after campus, Tosin said, “I am open to a lot of things right now. Now that I am done with my first degree, I hope to get a job, a good-paying one, in digital marketing.

“I am currently learning, especially email marketing, and I want to build my skills and actually use them. I also plan to go for my NYSC. During my service year, I would like to work as a digital marketer and hopefully get opportunities to work with multinationals, particularly in corporate communications.

“Beyond jobs and service, I am very open to opportunities like scholarships, training programmes, and anything that allows me to learn and grow.”

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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