A first-class graduate of Lagos State University (LASU), Ayomide Olubunmi, has recounted how she overcame childhood poverty, the loss of her father and financial difficulties to emerge as one of the university's outstanding students.
Olubunmi, who graduated with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.77 from the Department of Communication and Media Studies, said she regarded education as her only opportunity to escape poverty and transform her life.
In an interview with The Punch, the graduate disclosed that she lost her father when she was just five months old and grew up with her mother in a slum in Lagos.
She explained that her mother struggled to provide for the family by selling goods on the streets, cooking noodles for customers and engaging in other small businesses.
According to her, she also hawked sachet water as a teenager, while there were periods when she and her mother had to sleep in a shop because of their difficult financial circumstances.
Olubunmi said these experiences strengthened her determination to pursue higher education and build a better future.
"Education was my gateway out, not just physically from my environment but mentally as well," she said, explaining that university education exposed her to new opportunities, experiences and perspectives.
After completing secondary school in 2019, she took a gap year to teach and raise money for her university education.
She initially struggled to secure admission, writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) twice and scoring 245 and 252, respectively.
Despite her financial challenges, she eventually gained admission to LASU to study Mass Communication.
However, paying her tuition and other university charges remained a major concern, as she had hoped to attend an institution where she could afford the fees.
Olubunmi said her situation changed after her mother reconnected with someone from her late father's family through Facebook.
The connection helped her discover an uncle living in Germany, who offered to sponsor her education and subsequently paid her university fees throughout her undergraduate studies.
She described the support as a turning point that enabled her to pursue her academic ambitions.
Although her tuition was covered, Olubunmi said she still had to find ways to provide for her daily needs.
She sold items to fellow students, hosted events and established a 30-member student group known as LASU Fellows to create opportunities for other students.
She also secured employment in the technology industry while continuing her studies, although balancing her professional responsibilities with academic work became particularly challenging during her final year.
Olubunmi disclosed that the pressure of combining a full-time remote job with her final-year project and other academic responsibilities affected her grades.
She said receiving her first C grade was especially painful because she had maintained an excellent academic record since her first year.
Despite the difficulties, she remained determined to complete her degree with outstanding results.
Her first-year grade point average was 4.91, and she eventually graduated with a CGPA of 4.77.
She also emerged as the best graduating student in her department for the 2024/2025 academic session and received the Alima Atta Award.
Olubunmi said there were periods when she struggled with hunger, lack of electricity and exhaustion. Sometimes, she slept on campus to study when there was no electricity in her hostel.
Nevertheless, she said giving up was never an option because she believed education was her only route to a better life.
Speaking about her study strategies, she advised students to understand their individual learning patterns rather than compare themselves with others.
She explained that reading ahead of lectures, studying beyond prescribed textbooks, developing a broad vocabulary and maintaining personal well-being helped her achieve academic success.
Olubunmi currently works as a communication strategist at a technology company, having begun her professional career before graduating.
She said her journey demonstrated that students from disadvantaged backgrounds could achieve remarkable success through determination, hard work and access to educational opportunities.
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