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"The Journey Is Still Far": Mubarak Olasunkanmi on the Pursuit of Academic Excellence

Currently in his 500-level year in the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Mubarak Olasunkanmi has distinguished himself through consistent academic excellence and an unwavering commitment to personal growth. Recently recognised by MSSNUI for his outstanding academic performance, he reflects on the motivations behind his success, the mentors and experiences that have shaped his journey, his deep aversion to failure, and the lessons he hopes fellow students will draw from his pursuit of excellence.

MSSNUI recently recognised you for academic excellence. How did receiving this award make you feel?

Alhamdulillah! I felt very happy. It was nice to see myself and others rewarded for our academic achievements. I felt the need to keep trying my best and putting in my best. I would say it boosted my morale. I don't want to fail. I want to be part of it next year. I want to do better. The fact that one gets recognised for one's efforts and diligence made me feel very happy.

What key factors do you believe have contributed to your academic success so far?

What would I have been able to achieve without Allah? Alhamdulillah.

One is my background, where I came from. Even getting admission to the University of Ibadan was a challenge because in my environment, people saw it as impossible. But I've always been the type of person who likes doing what people say is impossible. That's really what I want to do.

So, that was my first motivation. I just wanted to prove that I could do it. A number of people discouraged me from choosing UI, and that itself became another reason for me. I told myself, I must do it. I don't believe I can't do it. There's this strong willingness in me to succeed. I really want to succeed, badly. Even when I face problems, that drive keeps me going.

Second is my family. I know where I came from, and anytime I look back, it motivates me to do well. I have siblings. I have people looking up to me. If I fail, I'm not just failing myself; I'm disappointing my parents, who have invested so much in me and believe so much in my potential. That pushes me to go beyond my limits. I just want to keep trying.

Then there are my friends in UI. I'm really grateful for my roommates during my 100-level days. We were all in Petroleum Engineering, Babatunde Adediran and Ridwan Tijay. We studied together and faced challenges together. Even when problems came, we helped one another. Seeing others study motivated me to pick up my books too. We taught one another and pushed one another. That support was a major factor in my success.

Also, I have a fear of failure. I don't want to fail. Even when I face setbacks, I push back harder. That strong will to bounce back is a major part of my journey.

I can't forget my other friends and classmates in my department and other departments in Tech. There's MSSN, the MTSG tutorials, CPMSS. They all contributed to my success.

I'm more than grateful. I also had mentors who were in 200-level when I was in 100-level, like Abdul Mumeen Ubaydah, Gbenga Awojinrin, Alex, and Prince, people I looked up to from my 100-level days. Seeing people walk the path gave me hope that I could do it too. So, all these factors came together and have been the reason I continue to do well.

Maintaining high academic performance across semesters isn't easy. How do you stay consistent and motivated?

Truly, being consistent is one of the hardest things, and it has really not been easy. But when I remember the reason I started in the first place and I look at the future I envision for myself, they give me enough reason to keep motivating myself.

I understand that the beginning does not matter if the ending is not good. I've heard different stories of people who started quite well but, because of certain reasons, couldn't end well. That's a kind of motivation for me.

Even when I had a perfect CGPA in my first year, anytime I thought about it, I reminded myself that even with a high GPA, one could still drop in 200-level, 300-level, 400-level, or even 500-level. "The journey is still far" - I used to tell myself. I don’t want my story to end that way.

As I mentioned earlier, my family is also a source of motivation. When I look at the people who trust me, and even at myself, I don't want to disappoint them or disappoint myself.

Who or what inspires you the most in your academic pursuit?

The first person is Gbenga Awojinrin. He was in either 400 or 500-level when I was in 100-level. At that time, he had a CGPA of about 3.95 out of 4.0, and that was surprising because Petroleum Engineering courses are very, very hard. Seeing someone in 400-level still maintaining such a high CGPA was so inspiring. It gave me this strong sense of possibility. I thought to myself, "Okay, this is actually possible for me too." At that time, when I was in 100-level, I had 4.0. But looking ahead at the courses I was yet to take, I felt overwhelmed. I kept wondering, "How am I going to survive in this department?" Honestly, I was scared. But seeing someone at that level still with such a high CGPA really encouraged me.

Another person is Abdul Mumeen Balogun. He's my brother, my friend, and someone who has really inspired me. When I see the things he has achieved, the scholarships he has won, his results, it pushes me to do more. There were so many times I had challenges, and he was the person I went to. His dedication, his achievements, and everything he does inspire me. Alhamdulillah, he's also a Muslim, so I try to follow his path. I meet him for advice on many things.

These are some of the people who have truly inspired me, and I'm grateful for them and many others.

As someone still on the journey to graduating with a first class, how do you intend to leverage this recognition moving forward?

I intend to further my studies by pursuing graduate studies, either a master's degree or a PhD. Actually, I plan to go directly for a PhD. The whole idea is to contribute to the body of knowledge and help address challenges in the petroleum engineering industry. I also enjoy research.

Ultimately, I plan to work as a petroleum engineer. I haven't chosen a specific path yet because many of them interest me. I enjoy Production, Reservoir Engineering, and some aspects of Drilling Engineering.

In the long run, I may also go into academia. I want to give back to the community by teaching. I forgot to mention that earlier, I enjoy teaching, and it's one of the things that has contributed to my success. Teaching people what I know helps me understand concepts better. It also helps me identify my strengths and weaknesses.

So, moving forward, I intend to do all these things, In shaa Allah. But, of course, Allah is the Best of Planners, and things may not always go exactly as we expect. I may even go straight into my career as a petroleum engineer immediately after school.

What message or inspiration do you hope others take from your achievement?

One message I would like to pass across is that we should always take time to reflect on ourselves. At every point in your life, create time for self-reflection and always strive for improvement.

No matter the position you're in or what it takes, always go all in. Whether it's suffering, stress, or any difficulty you may face now, eventually, you won't even remember it. If that's what it takes to succeed, then give it your best. Whatever you're doing, give it your absolute best.

Read like you never prayed, and pray like you never worked. Combine both the work and the God part. Put in the effort, but also rely on Allah.

Also, learn from people and teach others. As much as you're learning, let others benefit from what you know. As others gain from you, you're also gaining. You're never losing anything by giving. So always strive for that.

And I always say this: at the end of everything, if you truly strive and put in your best, and things still don't work out, then accept it as Allah's will. I don't mean you shouldn't work; you must first try your very best.

If you have done your part and things still don't go your way, then maybe it just wasn't meant to be. But make sure you actually strive. Make sure.

They say whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. At the very least, put in your best effort.

Can you share a particularly defining moment or experience that significantly shaped your academic journey?

I would say that moment was during my 100-level year.

Throughout secondary school, I was always among the top students. I had outstanding results and all of those things. However, my JAMB score wasn't as high as I felt it should have been, maybe because of the environment I came from. Even though it was relatively good, where I came from, it was considered very small compared to the University of Ibadan standard. I scored 267.

When I came for my post-UTME, I saw people with scores above 300. Honestly, those scores seemed impossible where I came from because nobody had ever achieved anything like that before. It didn't even seem possible to me.

When I eventually got into UI, I realised that many of my classmates, especially in Tech, had scored above 300. It affected my self-confidence. I felt like I wasn't good enough compared to them.

My 100-level year became a test of whether I could survive in an environment where everyone seemed so brilliant.

At that time, I was also facing challenges. During the period of online classes, my phone was stolen while I was teaching, so I couldn't study the way I wanted to. Financially, things weren't easy either.

Despite everything, I trusted Allah and kept pushing. I didn't want to make excuses for failure. I simply kept doing everything within my ability.

At the end of it all, I was one of only two students in the Faculty of Technology with a 4.0 CGPA.

That experience restored my confidence. It made me realise that maybe I wasn't as limited as I had thought. It reminded me that I was capable and that I could do it.

Since then, I've continued striving to maintain that standard.

That was the moment that truly defined my journey at the University of Ibadan.

How do you manage to balance academics with other responsibilities or interests on campus?

To me, it's all about time management. There's a time for everything. There's a time for things that are not academic-related, and there's also a time to focus on your academics.

During the first few weeks of every semester, as long as I'm attending classes, I don't usually have much difficulty. Sometimes, when I know I'll need to work during the semester, especially during my 200-level days, I skim through my course materials so that I'll at least have an idea of what each course is about.

That way, when I get to class, it's easier to follow what the lecturer is teaching. I don't have to spend extra time trying to understand everything from the beginning. My reading then becomes more about strengthening my understanding and preparing to score high.

I've heard people say it's difficult to balance academics with other activities, but I've also seen people who manage both successfully. Like I said, it's all about knowing when to do what.

Another thing is not losing focus. For example, maybe you do very well academically in your first year, and that opens doors for you. It gives you opportunities and visibility. But you must never forget what gave you that platform in the first place, your academics. Don't forget your foundation.

That's how I've tried to live. Even when I'm involved in extracurricular activities, I remind myself that academics gave me the opportunity to be there. So I make sure it remains my priority. If I'm investing time in other areas, I ensure they don't affect my academics.

I also try not to miss classes because I believe that if I attend lectures, there's a high chance I'll understand what's being taught. And if I don't understand, I ask questions. That's one thing I appreciate about myself, I can ask anybody anything. I ask a lot of questions whenever I don't understand something, and it helps me learn quickly.

So, for me, attending classes is enough to survive, especially when the lecturer teaches well. That gives me room to pursue other activities. Then, when it's time for tests and examinations, I put those other things aside and focus completely on my academics.

That's how I've been able to balance my academic life with my other responsibilities on campus.

What advice would you offer fellow students who aspire to achieve academic excellence like you?

The first thing is to put God first in whatever you do, that Allah knows everything and He is the best planner. Then, identify your "why", if you have a strong reason, that conviction that you just must not fail, and you're willing to make anything possible for you not to fail.

Make a list of things you must do. Maybe you need to study your slides first, then the textbook, then past questions, and maybe discuss with your friends or teach them.

And these things, actually, you can only do them with a very strong conviction because they take a lot of time to do. If you want to understand, you don’t want to cram; you want to pass the exam very well. All of these require a strong will to achieve.

So that’s why your “why” is very, very important as a student. You must have a very strong conviction to say you want to achieve academic excellence.

The second thing is that you must know that anything can happen to you. You must understand that you are not bigger than anything. I tell myself that I can actually fail if I don’t do what I’m supposed to do; I will fail.

Also, don’t be too confident that it now leads to failure when you feel like, “I cannot fail now, what to do?” At every point, if you have this fear that you could possibly fail if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, then you’re more likely to do what you’re supposed to do.

Additionally, seek help and teach people. I think I mentioned this also. Teach people what you know. It doesn’t stop you from anything. You don’t lose anything by doing that. In fact, you gain so much. The more you teach people, the more you understand the areas you need to work on. When you teach people, you know your strengths and weaknesses.