I fell in love with History along the line - LASU graduate who is the department's pioneer First Class holder in 40 years

A graduating student of the Lagos State University, Temitope Ayeobasa, has narrated how she reluctantly chose History but fell in love with it along the line.

She has eventually broken a jinx in the Department of History and International Relations of the school, as she finished with a First Class Honours, the first in 40 years.

Narrating her experience, Ayeobasan told ‘The Vanguard’ in an interview that her initial plan was to study law, but she fell in love with history along the way.

“I finished secondary school in 2020, and I ‘m 21 years old. I actually never wanted to study history, due to certain circumstances. I had to settle for it temporarily while waiting for a transfer to law. But along the line, I fell in love with it and decided to stay,” she said.

“At first, I wasn’t sure I would achieve a First Class because I didn’t initially want to study history, but I adhered to my mantra: Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well,’ so I put my all into it.”

Speaking on challenges she faced, the historian added: “Most things in the department came easily to me, but I would say my greatest challenge was having to write multiple exams on the same day. Also, I ‘m not the biggest fan of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. classes, so that was another hurdle.”

“I believe the greatest strategy is having a passion for what you do and deciding to invest your all into it. Reading was easy for me because I enjoyed it. Besides that, I ensured I had personal notes separate from those provided by my lecturers.

“In my early years (100 and 200 level), I also read weeks ahead of exams, which made it much easier when the pressure mounted. The truth is, it doesn’t get easier; we only get smarter. I also built a solid foundation during my 100 and 200-level days in terms of my CGPA. As w advanced and things got tougher, I relied on that foundation.

“Lastly, I made the right friends. My friends are super supportive of my goals, and we all work towards the same objectives. They push me to do better, and we engage in healthy academic competition each semester to see who performs better. I would say they played a major role in my achievement of this feat.”

Meanwhile, the Head of the Department, Professor Adeyeri Olusegun, has confirmed that Ayeobasa’s results were approved by the Senate in the early hours of Friday, October 18, 2024.

According to Prof. Olusegun, this is a first for the department since its establishment.

“Ayeobasan Temitope has shown resilience from her 100 level until now. She deserves it. This is the first of its kind since this school was established in 1984,”he said.

Speaking on retaining her, Prof. Adeyeri added,” She’s an adult; whether she would want to be retained will depend on her. But I know for sure that wherever she goes, she will need a good mentor to help her advance.”