EXCLUSIVE: OAU Student Who Bagged 121 Awards Shares Experience

The transformative journey of Ogunkeyede Opemipo Grace a 100-level student of Microbiology at Obafemi Awolowo University, had turned into a remarkable feat that sent waves through the internet, garnering attention on local, national, and international platforms, reaching global leaders and individuals across Nigeria and beyond, serving as a beacon of inspiration for numerous people from all walks of life, both young and old.

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Acquiring 121 certifications, badges, and honors from international organizations including some from UNICEF, HP, Asian Development Bank, World Health Organization and the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, amongst others, was an incredible accomplishment, and according to Opemipo in an interview with ACJOAU correspondent, she was all driven by her relentless pursuit of knowledge, self-improvement, and personal development to make a difference in the world and further improve her impact as an 18-year-old well-rounded changemaker.

Speaking to ACJOAU correspondent, she said “One of the biggest challenges for her was finding a way to balance the demands of opportunities, courses, and all with her other responsibilities which tested her determination and commitment. Also, balancing school work, extracurricular activities, projects at her organizations, volunteer work, and certifications was not an easy feat. It required a lot of discipline, organization, and time management skills to be able to juggle the responsibilities effectively”

According to her, completing each course also had its other set of challenges, especially when it came to accessing online resources.

“Sometimes, the internet connection was not always reliable, which led to interruptions in some needed aspects. She also encountered technical difficulties such as slow-loading pages, website errors, and broken links, which were more common when accessing some materials on her device”

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Nevertheless, despite these challenges, she remained committed to her goal and found ways to work around the limitations of using a phone and often navigating complex technical issues on her own, which sometimes delayed her progress.

In 2020, as a girl driven in tech, Grace Opemipo founded SkillsBeyond, a digital skills training academy for young people who are in dire need of skills to survive the digital era. Also as an environmentalist, she founded The Eco Emissaries, a youth-led organization focused on environmental sustainability. Recently she founded her 3rd organization empowering young people by developing their leadership, tech skills, soft skills, etc.

Ogunkeyede Opemipo Grace said, looking back on her journey, she is proud of the persistence and resilience that she demonstrated in the face of these challenges and she is proud to have bagged 121 certifications, badges, and honors despite the limitations and challenges.

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She further dedicate the achievement to her 14-year-old daring self who has started this and who has built herself priorly to have achieved this.

In her final words, she said, the journey to success is rarely a straight path but embrace the twists and turns, for they are the threads that weave the fabric of resilience and aspire not for just achievements but for personal growth and meaningful impact.