Udoh Emmanuel Oluwadamilare, a former student of Royal Legend Academy in Ikorodu, Lagos, has been hailed for achieving an impressive UTME score while maintaining an active social media presence. The young scholar proved his ingenious brilliance with a remarkable 311 aggregate score, building on his previous success in WASSCE where he earned 4 As, 4 Bs, and 1 C.
By accomplishing this feat, Udoh has debunked the notion that social media usage hinders academic excellence, demonstrating his ability to strike a balance between online engagement and academic rigor.
Backstory:
A social media user, identified as Foundational Nupe Lawyer1, issued a challenge to the public to produce a student who achieved a score of 300 or higher in the recently concluded UTME while maintaining an active online presence. The user claimed to be “experimenting an idea.”
The challenge came amid concerns over the high failure rate in the exam, with many attributing the poor performance to distractions from social media. An examination of Udoh Emmanuel’s Twitter account by Techparley revealed that he remained active throughout the exam period, frequently retweeting posts on his timeline.
In this interview, Udoh Emmanuel, who aspires to become a programmer in the future, shares his journey and secret of academic excellence.
Congratulations on your excellent UTME score. You never knew someone was going to pull up the challenge of scoring high despite staying active on social media. How does it feel to have proven your doubters wrong?
Thank you. It feels great to have proven that one can achieve high marks in UTME while being active on social media, as long as one is disciplined enough to strike a balance between both.
What subject did you score the highest? What was your lowest score?
I achieved the highest mark in mathematics, scoring 88, and the lowest in physics, with 70 marks.
Tell us about your performance in school during your secondary school studies? Have you always been a top student?
Throughout my secondary school days, I consistently topped my class and went on to achieve the best SSCE result in the school in the 2022/2023 academic session.
Were you affected in any way by the distractions that come with being active on social media? Do you think you would have performed any better if you had stayed off social media completely ?
I believe social media distractions had no impact on my performance. In fact, I successfully managed my social media use through discipline and time management, knowing when to take a break from social media until I had completed my allocated study time.
How did you manage your time effectively to balance studying and social media usage?
It took a lot of discipline. While it was challenging, I adhered to my schedule, prioritizing my studies and allocating specific times for social media use.
Do your parents know about your activities on social media?
My parents were fully aware of my social media use and implemented monitoring and regulations to ensure I stayed focused on my academic goals. By doing so, I was able to maintain a healthy balance between my online presence and academic responsibilities, ultimately achieving academic success.
What subjects did you find most challenging, and how did you overcome those challenges?
I found chemistry the most challenging, as my previous UTME result revealed areas in need of improvement, prompting me to go the extra mile to complete the syllabus. Additionally, I struggled with the oral aspect of English, but with my mother’s assistance, I made significant progress this year.
How did you use technology to your advantage in your studies?
To supplement my learning, I utilized online resources, including YouTube tutorials, educational tweets, and internet articles, as well as collaborative study sessions with my peers.
What advice would you give to other students who struggle with social media distractions?
In my opinion, parental regulation of social media usage is crucial, as many students struggle to balance social media with academic responsibilities.
How do you think social media can be a useful tool for learning and academic growth?
By following educational accounts on social media, participating in online tutorials, and subscribing to educational YouTube channels, students can harness social media to enhance their academic growth.
What are your future plans and aspirations, and what steps are you taking to achieve them.
I aim to become a full-stack developer in the near future. To achieve this, I have started learning various programming languages, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and I intend to expand my skillset by acquiring proficiency in additional languages. Concurrently, I am working on projects to enhance my skills and prepare myself for a career in tech.
How did you handle pressure and stress during the exam period?
Unlike many, I have never experienced anxiety or agitation during exam periods.
Can you share any specific study habits or routines that helped you succeed?
My strategy for tackling exams involves categorizing topics in each subject into three groups: those I struggle to understand, those I need to refresh my knowledge on, and those I have a solid grasp of. I then focus my studies on each group in that order, supplementing my learning with YouTube tutorials and additional resources as needed.
What do you think is the most important lesson you learned during your SSCE and UTME journey?
The key lesson I have learned is that determination, hard work, discipline, and faith are essential for success. With dedication, perseverance, and the elimination of distractions, one can achieve anything.
What message would you like to share with your peers and the wider audience about the importance of hard work and determination?
Having a clear direction in life is crucial, as it enables you to gather the necessary resources and stay focused on your goals.