INTERVIEW: How I Mentored 14 First Class Unilag Graduates — Dr Onyekachi Iroanya

The University of Lagos has been in a celebratory mood after the historic feat achieved by two best-graduating students for the 2023/2024 academic session- Haroun Adebakin and Samuel Badekale. The two graduated with the perfect CGPA of 5.0 from the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Sciences.

For this unprecedented achievement, the Faculty honoured Dr Onyekachi Ogbonnaya Iroanya of the same department for her exceptional mentorship as a course advisor to the graduates.

THE WHISTLER went in search of Dr. Iroanya, to speak with her on how she achieved the feat. She spoke with THE WHISTLER’s Nneka ASOGWA.

Dr Iroanya is a Forensic Biologist with the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, and the Course Advisor of the extraordinary Alpha Helix class of the 2023/2024 academic session which produced fourteen first-class graduates.

Excerpts:

What can you say is responsible for this feat?

The first thing I will say is, being able to build an enabling environment for the students and supporting them, encouraging them and letting them know that it’s possible. Right from the start, I told them that where others stop should be their stepping stone. So, I think that motivated them to work harder and reach for the sky.

The motivations they also got from other students, first of all, I had to put them into groups, they had five students in a WhatsApp group, and every day they had to study because I was part of all the WhatsApp groups. Every day, I checked what they did. It was not easy but it has paid off and I thank God. So, every day one person will teach or revise what was taught the previous day.

I also tried to get them to study place. We have a lab that is more of a postgraduate lab, lab 217, I signed up for it and took the responsibility. I do give them the key to stay there and have their tutorials, and people come there to help them with their tutorials and studies. So, they were able to do things together. And I always told them the importance of doing things together. That’s why it was as if the whole class did very well. It wasn’t a competition; everybody was trying to do better than they were doing before.

Another thing was that after their first-semester exam, I gifted everybody that had a GP of 4.5 and above. And then I told them that every semester, everybody that gets 4.5 and above will get a gift from me.

We are not talking about CGPA but just the GP for that semester. So, by the second semester, so many people got 4.5. I couldn’t keep up with the finances involved, because the first time I gave them bags, but the subsequent one, I was giving them N1000, and N2000, because I had many of them that had more than 4.5 GP. So, that encouraged them because everyone wanted the recognition not just the token I give.

I used GP because if I say cumulative, for someone that has maybe 2.8, even if the person later gets all A’s in the next semester, there is no way the person can get a CGPA of 4.5 in the next semester, and it will be demoralizing, and they will feel there is no point working harder. I had a student that we call the Dreamer that went from 2.82 to a first class. Because we were doing it per semester, it was then the motivation.

The students played a role, they were all their brothers’ keepers, and we were very close more like a family. I remember when one of my girls was molested and slapped by her landlord, she came and reported to me and I took the case up to the Dean of Student Affairs (DSA) Prof Adeleke, and that day the DSA, God bless him, he gave them accommodation inside the school.

So, providing the student with an enabling environment is also another thing. It takes so much work and passion; I was just sincere with them. Sometimes they would ask some odd questions, and I was just sincere with them and went down to their levels to tell them the implications of their actions and inactions. And I thank God it has played out well.

Did you expect this result from the students concerned?

Yes, I did. The dedication right from the first year. There were even some others, we were supposed to have about twenty first-class graduates, but one or two things happened along the line that were beyond our control. There was one student who left for medicine when there was a strike, and some others as well. But in all things, we thank God.

How did their performances in class lead to this result?

Their performances were above excellent. One thing I like about these children, I call them my children because that’s what they are, and I think that’s what has helped us to get to where we are. I have that passion. These students are not just good in academics. The two of them are footballers, one is a coach, and the other a team leader. They have done a lot of things, relearning fellows, and a lot of community work. So, their performance leading to these results has been more than excellent.

What endeared them to you and how did it happen?

From the start, we started real bonding. In their first semester, I taught them FSC 111, (Introductory Biology). I told them about my life experiences, I told them that the things they will regret are not the things they didn’t have the opportunity to do or couldn’t do but the things they could have done that they didn’t do. I always told them that there are consequences for actions and inactions, and once you do something you can never undo it. You might be able to correct what has been done, just like when you throw a glass or plate on the ground and it breaks, no matter what you do, even if you put it together it can never be the same again. Once you have broken it, you have broken it.

Because of that sincerity and being frank with them, most of them could relate to it. I never told them I was the best student in my time, I always told them to know it is not easy but it is doable. I always prayed for them and always reminded them that the world is looking up to them to make it a better place. You can do better than what any other person has done.

During their exams, I was always there and early. All their first-year exams were CBT. So once I come, all my children would line up, everybody knows who is behind him or her, if the person is not there, you look for him/her. They always go in as the first or second set because if it’s done alphabetically, Cell Biology was the 3rd, and if it’s done according to their readiness they were well organized and ready. I did not play modestly there, at a time some lecturers were like are you the only one? And I will say yes, to me they are my children. So, I never allowed them to waste hours, causing anxiety, waiting for one exam while they had other exams to take care of. So, I think it was that “I care” attitude that endeared us together.

As a course advisor to two best graduates, how did you mentor them? Was it different from the others?

I guided all of them as a whole class, not just two of them. The only thing I did differently was that I put them in clusters of five students each, that’s a study group, and I was in the group making it the sixth person. The students were 106 in class, they had their study time, 7-8 or 8-9 pending their choice, but they must study for at least one hour every day. And that allowed them to read what was thought for the day. One person will read and teach others, they all had the opportunity to teach everybody what they understood. And I think that was one of the things that helped them.

I was always part of the study groups, so everyone had to read. That was one of the things I did differently, and I was always there for them because some of them would just talk for a few minutes or even give flimsy excuses, but my patience and listening ear, allowed them to voice out how they felt, no matter how stupid it was, then my advice helped to put them through. So, I think these are the things I did differently that helped them.

Is this your first time being a Course Advisor?

Yes, this is my first time being a course adviser, and God gave me the best. I was supposed to be a course adviser 3, or 4 years before they gave me a course adviser. But in all things I thank God. He left the best for me.

What exactly is the work of a Course Advisor?

A course adviser is supposed to be a lecturer who will help in guiding the students both in academics, and social life, as much as you can, like a mother hen figure. That’s what I believe course advising should be. It shouldn’t just be academics; it should also involve every other thing, even helping them understand to a reasonable extent what society is all about.

When these students come in their first year, most have not left their homes before, and most of them did not go to boarding schools. So, it’s their first time leaving their homes, and they are vulnerable to a lot of things. As a course adviser, you are supposed to talk to them about life, tell them true life stories and even explain the morals of the stories. Like I tell them stories of things that happened in my own time, the good, the bad and the ugly. Let them know that life is not one way, encourage them, and let them know that if you fall now, that should just be a lesson learnt, it shouldn’t be the end, you move up from there.

What department are these students?

They belong to the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics Faculty of Science University of Lagos. We are the Alpha Helix class

What has been the closest score to this year’s performance in the University?

The Department, there was a year in the Department, I don’t remember the actual year, a student had 5.0 and was the only one in her class. What made this one different is that there were two students with 5.0 in the whole university. The two students with 5.0 were in the same class, not just the two, fourteen students in the first class, and forty-nine students in 2nd class, all in one class, and this is the first of its kind in the history of the University of Lagos.

How do you feel being part of this record-breaking feat?

I feel great and I give God all the glory. He gave me the wisdom, the strength, the patience, the finances, everything I needed, and He gave me the children, yes, I call them my children. I feel very happy and very proud of them.

Let me also use this opportunity to say that there is a student of mine who made a first class also, but I won’t mention her name now. I didn’t get her permission. She has an ailment; almost all her exams were taken at the hospital and she still made a first class. She is someone I have so much feeling for, if not for the ailment, I think where others stopped would have been her stepping stone. But I thank God for her life.

I want to acknowledge her. I have told the school to help me acknowledge her. She fought the battle and prevailed, and I thank God for that.

What is the total number of students in your class from which this record was set?

The total number of students I had finally were 122. Most came from their second year, out of that 122, I had 14 first class of which two of them had a perfect CGPA of 5.0. The best graduating female students also came from my class, 49 students got 2nd class upper, 35 students got 2nd class lower, and 3 students got 3rd class. Some of them were transferred students, I didn’t have much time with them, their GP already had a problem when they joined us.

One missed a GS course, she will be doing it now. I have one on warning, and four students on withdrawal. Some of them left during COVID and did not have the patience to write to the school officially that they were leaving and process it. Five were absent, some of them were those who travelled abroad, and I have one who deferred her admission. So, in total I finished with 122 students.

What was your challenge carrying these students along and how did you overcome them?

I will say is just grace, because it wasn’t easy. Some of these kids can be naughty, and they can drive you crazy. But like I was taught, you beat with one hand and use the second to hug the child. So, I get angry with them sometimes and tell them to bring along a cane when coming to class the next day. Then, they will start apologizing because they know that’s the best way I can let them know they have crossed the line, you know. It wasn’t easy.

They come from different backgrounds, orientations, religions, and social, and economic classes. I had some indigent students that I had to pay their fees, and give stipend every month, just to encourage them not to drop out. I had challenges, I even involved my kids to give me money every year to help some indigent students. So, I give them a token every month, some of them were my students, some from other departments, and even, there was one from another faculty at and different level.

Once I get my salary, I give them a stipend every month. For school fees, I get money from my kids and family to pay their fees. A lot of challenges, some were accommodation, the school could not accommodate everybody and some were coming from very far places. Some are sick, I had a Sickler, and there was even a time when we had to arrange and donate four pints of blood. There were lots of challenges. But in love, unity and by the special grace of God we were able to face the challenges and overcome them.

How did you balance your family and workload?

I will say I have the best husband that I could have ever asked for. Maybe if I was allowed to ask for a husband I wouldn’t have gotten him, because, he is God sent. He is very supportive, sometimes I leave the office by 8 pm to get home around 9 pm and that’s when I will make dinner because I live alone with my husband. Sometimes I have lectures at 8 am. I like to get to class 10 to 15 minutes before the lecture starts so I can do a little revision with the students before I start the new class. And he was always very supportive.

God used my husband to make it easier. My kids are grown, and they are not in the country. So, it’s just my husband and I. Anytime I call him to inform him that I am going to be late, he will just say it’s fine, just take your time. Sometimes I get home so late, he will say let’s take anything light and we will go to bed. So that’s how I balance it.

INTERVIEW: How I Mentored 14 First Class Unilag Graduates — Dr Onyekachi Iroanya is first published on The Whistler Newspaper