Gbenro Adesina
The overall best First Degree graduate student in 2021 Convocation Ceremony of the University of Ibadan (UI), Miss Basirat Rufai, has prepared her colleagues ahead of future challenges, asking them to prepare for unavoidable disappointments that will come their ways.
Basirat, 22, who graduated with 6.9 of 7 CGPA, stated this today while delivering a valedictory speech to wind down the undergraduate convocation ceremony, pointing out, “Today, I tell you that you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment, you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality. work hard, be kind and amazing things will happen”.
Basirat a graduate of Pharmacy is of 2018/2019 set and she came top in all her Pharmacy courses.
In her speech, she emphasized that the journey ahead is not likely going to be easy, but all the new graduates should strife to make their dream come true stating, “It is up to us to push and push harder to meet our target goals. Good things do not come easy definitely”.
The new graduate of Pharmacy noted that her feat did not come easy, rather it came with hard work.
She noted that she was determined to be the overall best students right from her first year in school, saying that she consciously worked hard to attain the feat.
Her words, “I will like to share a little story of mine with you. Entering into the university, for me, can be related to being on cloud nine. From the onset, my mantra has always been to be part of the best, if not the best. I always had this notion of “If I fail, I would have no excuse to defend my failure because I know I must have put in my best”. 100L did not go as expected. I had a low score in one of my courses, thereby affecting my CGPA. Most people are always amazed by my definition of “low”, but trust me, it was low. The same thing happened in my 200L, one of my courses always have its way of affecting my CGPA but, I never gave up.
“I worked harder and kept my head high, and to God be the glory, from my 300 to 500L, I had 7points in all of my courses. Taking you through this short story of mine, I want us to leave here with a particular lesson which is “Never underestimate your ability, you would be surprised how amazing you can still push. Pharmacy school had its own stress and I am sure this also goes to every graduate of different faculties seated here. The journey has been a mixture of good and bad times. So many hurdles we had to cross, so many sacrifices we had to make, so many sleepless nights, so many “Till Day Breaks” and “Morning till night” readings, but in all, we are all seated here, celebrating our success. I must say this is a proud moment for all”.
Pointing out that every ending is always a new beginning, she charged her mates to be serious about their future which is more important than where they were coming from.
“Graduation marks the end of yet another extraordinary phase of our life. This degree is only a stepping stone to greater success ahead. Without a doubt, UI has prepared us for the life after school, and this is the time to turn the blocking stone into a stepping stone”, she added.
Wow I must prepare very well to attain such goals. When we resume