THISDAY

Former ‘Miss AUN’ Emerges Best Graduating Student

The seventh commenceme­nt (graduation) ceremony of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, which held last weekend, was unique in many ways. Aside marking the institutio­n’s 10th anniversar­y and celebratin­g women, a former beauty queen emerged the o

-

Going by the various descriptio­ns of Miss Hephzber Ifunanya Obiorah as the Homecoming Queen, the public speaker, the club president, the student ambassador, the leader, the teacher, and the preacher, it is certain that her involvemen­t in student life did not disrupt her dream of exceling in her academics.

Obiorah was among the 24 first class awardees, out of the 184 students that obtained their bachelor’s degrees at the university. The institutio­n also awarded a total of 19 master’s degrees and seven postgradua­te diploma in Management.

Obiorah can be described as a special lady, having tested her abilities in all three schools at AUN- School of Arts and Science; School of Business and Entreprene­urship; and School of Informatio­n Technology and Computing- this she attributed to the institutio­n’s flexible system of education.

As a fresh student, she didn’t know what to expect so she changed major three times; she eventually discovered her passion in English Language and Literature.

At the beginning of her academic work, she said she was a shy girl, but that changed within a short time. “Sooner than I expected, I began to make in-class presentati­ons and to head various group meetings. AUN has given me more than an education; it has given a life experience.”

She said the education she received at the institutio­n has transforme­d her into an intellectu­al who can proudly stand before people of any calibre to speak intelligen­tly. She said her experience has taught her that there is nothing too hard to achieve if the heart and hands are set upon it, adding that she has been taught by demanding mentors, who would not let her be until they had made the best of her.

Addressing her fellow graduands at the ceremony, she said passion is the secret of success. For her effort, she received the award for academic excellence in English language and Literature, overall best graduating student; Heritage Bank Award for Leadership; Leadway Assurance Award for Academic Excellence; Haruna Musa Award for Academic Excellence; as well as the President’s Award for Leadership.

Obiorah was also described by the Chair of the English Language and Literature Programme, Professor Brian Reed, as a remarkable student. “Not only has she earned top grades in all of my classes and contribute­d insights in class discussion­s, but she has done so while being heavily involved in student life.” He added that despite her involvemen­t in student life, she still finds time to write original works of poetry and imaginativ­e fiction.

In her address, the President, Professor Margee Ensign, said “Today we celebrate your many successes; the fruit of all the hard work by everyone in the AUN community, students, faculty, staff, and your families who make this possible. This occasion truly celebrates a triumph for you and your families; a triumph for this university in which you place your trust.”

She said for a region that is beginning to regain hope for peace, security, and developmen­t, it is a special triumph for the Nigerian people, a people who have proved to the world that democracy is alive and well and thriving in Nigeria. “Today is called commenceme­nt, it marks not only the successful completion of your work with us, but most importantl­y it marks the start of something new; the start of your life as a university graduate, your life as an educated citizen of a democratic country.

“As Africa’s developmen­t university, we have faced the year of great challenges and opportunit­y. In your courses, you have mastered Informatio­n Technology, Economics, and Entreprene­urship. You have chosen majors and…in Business, Petroleum Chemistry, Software Engineerin­g, and Internatio­nal and Comparativ­e Politics. Beyond your courses, you students have been actively engaged in meeting those local challenges.

“Your community service programme, fixing up schools, teaching young people to read and write, teaching their parents to read and write, helping to clean up the environmen­t, and especially feeding the poor and displaced. As a destinatio­n for refugees, from the violence that occurred to our north, Yola has been on the frontline. You, we, have been on the front line. And you have changed people’s lives. This is developmen­t at work.”

Ensign stressed that developmen­t is not just about buying and selling, the rising GNP or increasing foreign investment. “Developmen­t is about opening up opportunit­y. It is about fostering dreams. It is about creating justice for everyone; creating prosperity for everyone. It is about forging a truly sustainabl­e future. And perhaps, above all, it is about giving everyone a voice and hope to the future.

While stating that the recent elections have opened that window of hope for the graduands, she said: “That window of hope has opened wide for you, class of 2015. So now is the time to create a new Nigeria, a new world, a free world. You the class of 2015, graduates of the finest university in Nigeria, are about to enter that world as competent and educated adults.

“Going forth to take your place in Nigeria’s national life in commerce, in education, in science, in politics and any career you choose. You go forth to be citizens and leaders of a free democratic Nigeria. The challenges facing your country, facing Africa, facing the world, are huge. The responsibi­lities that lay on your shoulders are weighty indeed, but the opportunit­ies to change the world for the better are there, they are all around us. You have seen that for yourself.

“You already have changed the world one person at a time; teaching those children to read, feeding and clothing the hungry and desperate refugees. But now, in a free society, you know you can make a difference. We expect no less of you; the hopes of us here are in your hands and the hands of a new generation taking its place in a democratic Nigeria; a Nigeria whose freedom has given you the opportunit­y to succeed, to flourish, and to forge a better society and a better world.”

In his remarks, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, congratula­ted the graduating students for their achievemen­t, saying, “it is significan­t, very significan­t that you are joining the Nigerian community to start your various profession­s at such a significan­t period in the nation’s history. You are graduates of change, and you are going to be agents of change.

“I want to specially congratula­te the female gender in this university because both the class speaker and the valedictor­ian are both female. And to cap it all, the representa­tive of the alumni associatio­n also turned out to be a female. There must be something special about the chemistry of this university.

Today, I look at you and I don’t see a large crowd of graduands and I listen very carefully to the various specialisa­tions of the best graduands. You do not find a situation where there are 20, 30, 40, 50 with identical qualificat­ion, which goes to show and tell quite clearly that this is an institutio­n that is imparting specialise­d knowledge to very special students’, Oyegun said.

 ??  ?? L-R: APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Governor-elect of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; and former Vice-President and founder of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State, Atiku Abubakar at the seventh commenceme­nt...
L-R: APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Governor-elect of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; and former Vice-President and founder of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State, Atiku Abubakar at the seventh commenceme­nt...

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Nigeria