Recently on LinkedIn, Perpetual Uchechi Iregbundah stated that “I am so excited and cannot contain my joy because my dream came true” after announcing that she graduated with a First Class from the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, University of Port Harcourt.
Iregbundah further announced that she finished as the overall best graduating student in her department, as the second overall best student in the Faculty of Science, and as the second overall best student at her university.
The first class graduate, however, added that life and studies were not all rosy for her during her days at the university.
According to her, her father passed away after her Junior Secondary Certificate exams (JSCE), which almost made her drop out of school if not for a scholarship by the proprietress of her school, adding that she spent two years at home due to a lack of finances for tertiary education.
She revealed that she survived at the university through financial support from her aunt and the church, and the Shell Joint Venture Scholarship she won in 2019.
“I will never forget how my mother’s akara (bean cake) business supported me. I learnt to bake and did it part-time, using the money to support myself. I prepared and sold popcorn in lecture halls during my final year to meet the endless financial demands of school,” she stated.
Iregbundah further stated that despite the challenges, she graduated with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.88 on a scale of 5.00, adding, “While there is still a lot of work to do, I chose to celebrate this milestone first, as it is a stepping stone to my greatness.”
Iregbundah, on LinkedIn, also posted that because of her academic feat, she was honoured to dine with the vice chancellor of the university with other first-class graduates.
Commenting on the First Class dinner party, she said, “It may be just a dinner to some people, but looking at where I am coming from, I know it is the start of something so beautiful because God is in this story.”
She seized the opportunities to seek master’s and PhD scholarships in Plant Science-related fields and also internships that will support her growth and development, as she hopes to create a meaningful impact in her field of interest.
