After talking to Oluwakemi Igiehon (Uniben best graduating student)and Orji Success(PBB fist class graduate), I Ijust couldn't stop! I wanted to talk to everyone i could see! I wanted to hear their success stories and this led me to TEMISAN SAMSON EYITENE, the best graduating student in the department of Mathematics And Economics
This is one heart wrenching story. This is the story of a man filled with staunch determination.
Below is my conversation with Eyitene Samson.
OLUFUNKE FOLU: Congratulations Sir, I'm Moronfolu Olufunke, I own a blog and I'm quite fascinated with people that have accomplished phenomenal feats and i would love to write your story for the world.
EYITENE SAMSON: Thank you very much!
OLUFUNKE FOLU: How would you describe your performance in secondary school??
EYITENE SAMSON: hmmm, relatively speaking i was an exceptional student as I was the second best graduating student in my school then but generally speaking I was just an average student because i didn't really put much work in my studies. I was just freelancing and it wasn't until i got out that i realised how much i played.
OLUFUNKE FOLU: So tell me about how the Mathematics and Economics journey started.
EYITENE SAMSON: (laughs) I left secondary school at the age of 15, i applied to the University Of Lagos and was given mechanical engineering but i was rejected because i was too young. I took it in bad faith then but the rejection made me sit down and think about what i would really love to study. I had always wanted to study medicine and surgery, which was as a result of societal pressure. But within the two years I was at home, i realised i was interested in Economics and getting a combined honours in Economics and mathematics will prepare me for a career in finance.
OLUFUNKE FOLU: Then i guess, the rejection was a blessing in disguise.
EYITENE SAMSON: Yes it was, I came into the University of Benin as a Pure Mathematics student and it would surprise you to know that i had 8 strong carryovers in 100level and i wrote those carryovers till my final year! That happened because i transferred from Pure Mathematics to Mathematics and Economics and i was made to write the Economics courses i didn't write before. In fact i missed some exams because i didn't know what i was doing.
It was a known fact that transfer students always spill for two years and when they do, It's with a 2-2(a second class lower). But i thank God I was not just able to graduate with my mates, i also emerged as the best graduating student.
OLUFUNKE FOLU: You mentioned something about transfer students spilling for two years, how were you able to break this jinx?
EYITENE SAMSON: Being the best wasn't on my mind when i was transferring, all i wanted was my double honours. Like i said earlier i got 8 carry overs in 100level, i was in two departments and both department had bulky courses, I couldn't register all my courses in 200 level which automatically gave me carry overs again! My 200level result came out and my GP wasn't what i wanted, i felt bad but i adjusted and put it behind me because it was a norm for transfer students. In 300level, my result was just there! But in 400level i told myself i wasn't going to go with what everyone was saying, I told myself i was going to graduate with my mates.
I never expected to be the best graduating student anyway. In first semester 400 level, i was the best student, i was surprised to see the many A's, even the carry over's i was expecting to have C's or D's as were the norms in Uniben ended up with A's. Then my course adviser called me, obviously he was surprised with my performance and said they would have mentored me if they knew i was that good! But it was too late for that, so i gave second semester the same determined shot as i did in first semester, and I think that was what launched me to being the best in my department.
At the beginning, i was almost giving up, I was devastated but i told myself i had to be different, i had to graduate with my mates, i told myself i could do it, and glory be to God, here I am!
OLUFUNKE FOLU: What was the maximum time, you have ever read for?
EYITENE SAMSON: hmm, if you notice, you'll see I'm myopic and my doctor said i can't read at night, so anything from 8pm I'm supposed to be either asleep or not doing anything that will affect my eyes. So when most of my mates were reading in night class, i was always in the hostel. It made me feel really bad cos i wanted to read, but if i do, it will affect my eyes and i might be unable to read for a week. Reading during the day is almost impossible, because i was in two separate departments and they are not located close to each other, so i always had to move around school which automatically leaves me exhausted during the day, but I akways read my books during the breaks before lectures. I read at every chance i had during the day and coupled with the grace of work it really worked for me.
OLUFUNKE FOLU: Wow! So what advice do you have for undergraduates??
EYITENE SAMSON: hmm, I'll say go for whatever you want, don't fall back because of what people are saying around you, using myself as a case study, i wouldn't have achieved all this if i had listened to the stories about spilling i heard, we were over 90 students in 100level but less than 20 of us made it to the final stage. So just go ahead and set your goal,be focused and tell yourself you're good enough to achieve it, regardless of what people around you are saying.
I'm sharing this because someone somewhere needs to see this.. You think you're swimming in your carry overs or missing scripts?? It's never too late to motivate yourself and be the best! If Samson could do it, then so can you!
This is awesome! Mine is almost like this, but was able to adjust in my second year. The candid advice is,"never give up" for it is never too late.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the lad.
Wow! I can sense a story here!
DeleteIm glad you were able to bounce back in time!