An Interview with Miss Olaoluwa Tawakalt, the best graduating student of the department of Psychology.

VICTORIA ADEUSI

Miss Tawakalt, a student of department of psychology who was also a member of the FATSSSA L&D and Asido Campus Network was announced as the best graduating student(BGS) on 14th November, 2024 at the 76th Foundation day and Convocation day.

Interviewer: Good morning ma, I am Victoria from PSYCHLENS PRESS. Kindly introduce yourself ma'am.

Miss Tawakalt: I am Tawakalt

Interviewer: Ok, nice meeting you miss Tawakalt. You are the BGS student of psychology department, how do you feel about that?

Miss Tawakalt: the fulfillment that I made my family proud. They're more excited about it than I am and I think that's enough for me. The feeling that I made them proud is enough.

Interviewer: I know you to be a member of some organizations meaning you were involved in extracurricular activities, how were you able to balance this with your academics

Miss Tawakalt: Balance is a myth. What exists is priorities. Psychology is a core interest for me and it's at the centre of a lot of things I do. I don't think my extracurricular activities and academics are so alienated. I use my academic knowledge in my extracurriculars and my extracurriculars make me more grounded in my academics.

What worked for me was starting earlier than everyone. Most times, before a semester starts, I would have read notes from senior colleagues and textbooks so I have a background knowledge of the courses I'm taking for the semester. It's also a priority for me to read almost every day of the week. Sometimes, it might mean reading early in the morning before classes and work or reading in between activities during the day.

You could say I was able to balance my extracurriculars with my academics by knowing when to do what and understand my why.

Interviewer: Do you think you had any challenges in your academics

Miss Tawakalt: I think the major challenge was not offering electives I wanted to. There were a lot of courses I would have loved to take but couldn't because we weren't allowed to take electives outside the faculty.

Another issue would probably be that the way I learn is not very compatible with traditional methods of teaching. I am a visual learner so lectures can get very boring for me. To address that, I always sit at the front and write notes so I don't get distracted.

Interesting, I wasn't on a first class when I finished 100level. I had really good grades in my psychology courses but average ones in my electives especially in political science courses. I wasn't an arts student and I took the courses more of the lack of options than interest. It's difficult for me to focus on things I don't have interest in so that was a major challenge. For subsequent levels, I only took electives I was interested in whether they were easy "As" or not. One example was when I decided to take "medical geography" in 400level. It was my first and only geography course as an undergraduate. I liked geography in secondary school but I never took a course until 300level because I didn't see any that appealed to me. When I decided to take medical geography, it was the first time a non-major was taking the courses. I was able to persuade a couple of my classmates to take the course as well. I enjoyed the course so much that the grade I get wouldn't have mattered.

Interviewer: In your own opinion, do you think extracurricular activities can affect academic performance

Miss Tawakalt: To be honest, yes.

What effect they have on your academic performance is dependent on the nature and quality of your extracurriculars. Are those extracurriculars adding to your desired outcome in life or are they things you're doing just to occupy your time? You also have to understand that if you want your extracurricular activities not to negatively affect your academic performance, you have to be willing to work harder and do things more differently.

Everything you do takes a little bit of your time so in a sense you're missing out of time you can use to focus on academics. However, as Dr Jibril Abdulmalik told me once, "life will never give you the chance to be just one thing".

The only time in your life you'll probably do less is now that you're an undergraduate. After graduation, your workload will get more intense. If you're doing postgraduate, you have to combine that with work, family responsibilities, and community activities. If you're not doing postgraduates, you still have to combine personal and professional development with everything else you do. In a sense, you don't have the luxury to be just one thing. Combining extracurricular activities with academics helps you prepare for the future.

For me, my academic performance significantly improved as my extracurricular activities improved. Being a writer improved my writing skills so I can do assignments, tests, and exams faster and better. My quality of thoughts also improved with time. Writing speeches for L&D improved my critical thinking abilities. My voluntary internships gave me clinical and research experience that I connected with the theory I was taught in class. For example, psychology of substance abuse was easy for me because I had interned at a substance use rehabilitation centre, and organized several substance use awareness campaigns with Asido Campus Network.

At the end of the day, what effect anything you do has on you is dependent on you. Do you have a goal? Do you understand your 'why'? How do you align all these activities?

When exams are close, I significantly reduce my extracurricular activities and I communicate this in every place I am committed so there is no delay because of me.

You also have to understand yourself. How do you learn? What works best for you? When are your productive hours? Self-awareness will help you navigate better. You will struggle but if you consistently improve on yourself and persevere, you'll excel.

Interviewer: To be candid, you have said a lot of things that are encouraging and motivating which leads to my next question

What would you like to say to the undergraduate of psychology department

Miss Tawakalt: Everyone's story is different. Some people applied for psychology while others were offered the course instead of the one they applied for. You might be an Arts or Science student in secondary school, but what matters is that you're now in the department. Make the best of it. Every day is an opportunity to do better and be world class.

There are so many areas to specialize in psychology. That's the beauty of the course. Whether it's sports, health, development, social issues, gender, human rights, sexuality, or any other thing that you're passionate about, you can find an intersection of that passion within psychology. Your psychology degree is not useless, it is an important leverage and how you use it is dependent on you. I understand that the situation of the country might not be encouraging and you might have heard people say your degree is useless. However, I know a lot of senior colleagues who graduated from this department who are doing amazingly well in their various careers. Use this present time to build the life you want.

Don't be ashamed to ask for anyone's help. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. My reading technique was something I learnt from John Oso, a graduate of the department, AbdulRahman Ajibola made me fall more in love with biological psychology while he was tutoring me, President Esther was a part of my public speaking journey, Salome gave me all her notes, and I joined ACNUI because someone I met at an event shared the link to apply. Seize every opportunity and use it judiciously. You're an inspiration to someone and your story is inspiring someone. Do your best everyday.

I should also add that you should never be the type that hoards opportunities and resources. My classmates can attest to the fact that I never hoard any resources I have. It does not diminish from you. I wish you the best and I look forward to meeting you on the global stage in the future.

Most importantly, don't isolate yourself. Have friends in different departments and faculties. Have a good reputation amongst your colleagues and lecturers. Enjoy your undergraduate experience. Do new things and find time to have fun.

Interviewer: It's an amazing moment with you Miss Tawakalt, thanks for your time. That brings us to the end of the interview, thanks

Miss Tawakalt: Thank you for the interview.

Interviewer: Thank you so much. Wishing you all the best