“Of a Graduate who had to fail first”- Timilehin P. Abayomi

My mother and I held ourselves in late 2014, weeping uncontrollably after hearing that I had failed in OAU After being accepted to the citadel in 2008. My studentship was withdrawn in my final semester, 5 years later, for reasons I completely accept responsibility for.

My family and I went through a tough moment of one suicide attempt, exile from home and a family meeting to decide what to do next. I remember insisting on returning to university, and it was FUTA in 2015.

Nigerian Student Expelled From OAU In His Final Semester, Starts Again And Graduates With First Class From FUTA

Fast forward to yesterday, I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Quantity Surveying with First Class Honours from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, and placed in the top 5 of the University’s graduating class.

Between these years, I’ve gone through extensive refinement, learned various lessons, and grown as a person. Excellence, diligence and tenacity, in particular, have become my watchwords.

With these guidelines in mind;

  • I co-founded inside FUTA, a News Organization that helped the institution reintroduce campus media.
  • I won the prize of the most distinguished first time member of the House while representing my department at the Students Representative  Council (SRC)
  • Represented the university and competed against peers in National debate, entrepreneurship and construction competitions.

As I move forward in life, I’m determined to upholding the three values; excellence, diligence and tenacity,in the hope that they would help me achieve my ultimate objective of realising the possibilities of media and communication in the Construction industry.

As I have always maintained, this isn’t the best way to get a degree; nevertheless, tell anyone who has failed that “ failure is not final, no matter how fatal, for he who falls shall rise again.”

I owe this eventual success to God, who gave me a Second chance; to my dear Mother, who never gave up; family, who believed in me again; and friends, who were always there. My deepest appreciation to three of my friends who encouraged me and supported me through this phase- Adesida Thompson, Anjolaolorun Alabi, ACIM & Opeyemi Fawole.

This story is that of a failure who never gave up; a story of strength and courage.

 

SOURCE: LinkedIn