She scored zero in her PUME in UNN but broke a 33 years jinx in U. I. Read the story of Linda Ogbonye

I saw this post on Exclusive Africa and i just have to reblog it here because there's something challenging and inspiring about the person interviewed. The act of this  wonder lady  reminds me of this quote, "achieving extraordinary things in an ordinary way", all thanks to her sheer hardwork, focus and doggedness. Read the story of Linda Ogbonye.

When a feat takes about three
decades and more to be replicated
in an academic institution, then it’s
worthy of note. For about 33 years
now, it has been on record that no
first class student has been
recorded in the Communication and Language Arts Department,
University of Ibadan. The last
recorded being Mr. Shola Omole,
recently appointed DG, Nigerian
Television Authority.

And now, after three decades plus,
the jinx which hitherto had hung
around the department has been
broken not just by one, but two
students, one from the regular
stream and the other from the
distance learning mode. In this
interview with Exclusive Africa’s
Wale Ameen, Linda Chigoziri
Ogbonye, one of the students who
recorded the feat speaks on the
academic journey, the challenges,
her views on success and a whole
lot more.

EA: So Linda, you broke the 10-year-old jinx(laughter) in the
Communication and Language Arts
Department of the University of
Ibadan which to many people is a
big deal even though to you may
not be so much. How does it feel?

Linda: Honestly it’s a big responsibility, that’s what it is now. Initially it was for the fun but now it’s turning into a big responsibility. It’s really nice, really nice. I wasn’t doing it for anything but for myself and my future but now it’s weighing on me, where people are like so you broke the jinx, it’s looking like that but I thank God. It’s awesome.

EA: How was the journey like? Give us a load down of how the journey has been.

Linda: It was interesting because I
didn’t know what CLA was when I
filled my JAMB form to be honest. In fact let me tell you what happened. When I filled my JAMB form, UI was my second choice, my first choice was UNN to study Law, I didn’t know UI could take second choice but my sister (she attended UI) just said put UI, put CLA and I was like what’s that and she said Communication and
Language Arts. She said just put it
there and I said fine.
And then I went to UNN to write their post UME exam and hey, I got 0 over 400, post UME! And then I’m like (both laughing), 0 over 400? And you know I was Senior Prefect in my Secondary
school and I was just like 0 over 400? What kind of result is that?
Okay, then I came for the exam in UI but I really wasn’t prepared because I really wasn’t interested in CLA but hey I did it and then that day, there and then, the interviewer said I had gotten
admission, before the list came out and I was even the last person they interviewed, I finished my interview around 7 O’Clock.
And then I resumed school and didn’t even know what a beat was, I remember 100 level, fresher days, they will be asking questions and all the girls in class will just be raising their hands and you know I was the dumbest student in class. I remember when one day I was in class and then
the lecturer said “So you have to go find a beat and do all that” and I asked the girl sitting next to me what a beat was. And the girl just looked at me and was like “You did first semester here, this is second semester and you don’t know what a beat is, how won’t you know anything?” And then she began mentioning names of broadcasters and I didn’t even know and I felt as if I was in the ‘wrongest’ place ever, so when the results came, I was actually
surprised because I didn’t know
anything and so it was interesting.
When the result came, it was like I had to maintain it because it doesn’t make sense to be on first class or a good G.P. and then the next thing people would start to pity you saying “Ahhhh, and that girl was in first clas”’. So that
was what inspired me, it wasn’t like I really wanted the first class but…

EA: We don’t set out for greatness
many times you know, but it’s in
doing those little things we find
ourselves doing very well. How
were you able to maintain the
level, what were factors that
contributed to keep you on track?

Linda: Well, good friends, parents and my sister (nods her head
emphatically). My sister who told me to take CLA, initially when I saw the results and the responsibility came, many people began eyeing me. You know people didn’t notice me in 100
level when I didn’t know anything, so I had to work hard and when I came home and told my dad that I’m tired and I didn’t want to continue, my dad would say to me ‘Linda believe in God, trust God’ and to be honest, everything is God because I would not tell you that I read all through because
I don’t read at night, I don’t do that
and I’m not even the serious reader like that. My friends will tell you that. It was basically God, the support of my family and my friends.

EA:Hmmm, God, family and friends.

Linda: Yes, yes all through and then towards the end my Head of
Department.

EA: When you initially came in, what was the mindset you started out with?

Linda: Oh I wanted to do well; I’ve
always known I’m not that
competitive. Okay here is the thing, what really motivated me to actually start reading hard for CLA was this roommate of mine back then. She used to see me play and like I said I don’t read back then all the time even till the end, I would just play, gist with
friends. And she would come back,
she’d read, and read and I’ll tell her hey I have a test tomorrow but I want to gist and I would do that and she’ll tell me “Tsunami is real!” she didn’t really know anything, we were all in 100 level but she’ll say “Tsunami is real, when they tsunamize you, that’s
when you’ll know, jeez!”
When she said it the first time, I was like, babe how far, even if I’m playing it doesn’t mean I’m stupid and yes, everybody in my room used to read. And then 1st semester exams came and I didn’t start reading until rush hour like two weeks before and that was when I started gathering materials. So the girl was very angry with me and was like “You in fact, you are a tsunami case”, and you know I said “For this reason, I am going to prove to you that I can actually do
this”. And when the results came out, I said “Here’s my result” and she was like “You maintained the same G.P., how did you do it?” So I think she was one of those people who inspired me to
work hard. Precious, that’s her name.

EA: As an individual, what are your
general guiding principles to life
that you’ve imbibed overtime?

Linda: Okay, I believe in integrity, I believe in having your pride as a
woman, in fact as a person. Do not
ever let anyone take you for granted. And yes another thing, the only way someone can ride you or make you feel less better is when you give room to such person. That is the only time
they can take advantage of you, so I believe in anything anyone is doing, even if its academics, yes, you don’t have to be too serious. My God, have fun, enjoy yourself, do everything you have to do. That happened to me in 200 level.
In 200 level when I noticed that
everyone had their eyes on me, I
became so serious and that was when I had my biggest failure. You know I felt I had to read, be serious and it wasn’t me. So be you. That’s it, integrity, have your pride as a woman, treat everyone with respect because you do not know where you would need someone’s help. The person that may be low today might be high up tomorrow.

EA: Let me pick you up on what you just said, you mentioned being uptight and serious and that was the time you dropped. What does that reveal to you concerning fear and misplacement of priorities?

Linda: Yes talking about misplacement of priorities, it happens to a lot of us, even the best of us. So the thing is when you lose focus, the point is to
actually get back up because I
wouldn’t say it’s bad to lose focus
because it happens, distractions are there. But the part that makes you stronger is when you realize that oh I am heading in the wrong direction, I should go back to get on track. Re-strategize, some people get back up and some don’t and in my case, I
thought I was even prioritizing by
reading, being serious, going to class all the time, neglecting my social life, thinking okay you have a G.P. to maintain, but I realized in the end , I was just killing myself, it wasn’t me.
Who I am is to enjoy myself, have fun to the fullest and then read on later.

EA: Probably more about understanding oneself, because yes this may not work for many others. Asking yourself who am I and how do I get the best from myself.

Linda: Exactly, that brings me to
something. In that 200 level, when I had decided, you know how peoplecgot serious reading at night. I tried it and jeez, it wasn’t me. I love my sleep and it affected me. Really I don’t do
more than two hours of reading in a day, so when I tried reading for long stretches of hours, it was always affecting me because later in the day I won’t be able to concentrate, I’ll be tired, weak and then ask me what I read all through the night, I do not
know. And then I figured out I’m the kind of person who read at the last-minute and I would understand. In fact when I read at the last-minute, I understand
better. I can’t read in the library. I read with my music on sometimes I dance when I’m reading. Not everybody can
do that (Laughter). So if I start being someone else who is improving, and I dropped, why can’t I just be me!

EA: That brings us to your project.
Your topic was: You Are What You
Speak: Influence of American Films on Student’s Spoken English. It’s an interesting topic which in a way looks ‘unserious’ but then
examining it one realize just how
weighty it is. Shed some light on
what inspired it.

Linda: Okay, in 300 level research, we were told to do what you love and I love talking and reading novels and then I thought should I work on the novel or on speaking and I realized that I speak  ‘phone’ and I haven’t ‘janded’ (laughter).
And I ask myself what was the reason and realized it was the American films and I speak more of American than the British English that we were taught. You know I realized I spell ‘color’ instead of ‘colour’. And so I thought that since mine is
the American accent, let me find out if there are other people like me that speak this ‘phone’ and let me find out why and how they speak ‘phone’ when they haven’t even crossed the border.

EA: So it was just something that
came from within?

Linda: Yes, in fact I was passionate
about it. I wanted to know why people speak ‘phone’; like Lagosians especially, they speak like that and they haven’t even gone anywhere. It was as I realized, a broad subject, so I
had to narrow it down and I decided to work on film, someone else can do songs, someone else can do rap music. I focused on UI students, I had
wanted Unilag but hey, time. It was interesting because while I was on it, I had to interview people. I had to record people’s voice and they were not aware.
So I would come, jist with you and
later on ask you to fill my
questionnaire. And so when you fill the questionnaire, I’ll ask questions like if you travelled abroad, do you speak ‘phone’ and it was nice because people lied a lot. One of the things I
loved about my project was the fact that it was a combination of
quantitative and qualitative. And I
learnt a lot from it.

EA: What are your last words to
others? An encouragement to those out there?
Linda: I am not going to talk to the
person who has found him or herself rather I would like to speak to that person who hasn’t found him or herself because even till now I honestly do not know what I want to do. Hey I graduated with first class, I
broke a jinx but yes do I know what I really want to do with my life? I remember when I just came in and I looked like the stupidest person in class and I felt bad but after a while I realized I had to just do my best. So you might not know, people might
laugh at you but decide to be better. Decide to know it, it will help youvimprove yourself, you might not be passionate about it in the long run but you would get to that point where you strike a balance and say okay I like this, I don’t like that. You would find
out what you are passionate about,
so even if you do not know yourself, even if you think you are lost, one way or the other I believe in God and I believe there is a reason for everything. So there is a reason why you are in that particular place, course, marriage whatever it is, there
is a reason why you are there, so just try and make the best out of it and see how it works for you and then when you find out what works for you then you’ll be able to achieve a whole lot. Yes be focused but you should learn how to balance between work
and play. And you don’t have to live the triangular life, very boring
(laughter). And oh, respect God; even a Muslim knows that Allah is number one.

EA: Lastly what are you looking at
for the future?

Linda: I know I’m going to be a big PR person, I’m a 100% sure. I will be a big PR person but the thing is, I also have a lot of things I need to do, that’s why I said I wasn’t sure earliercbecause  I have a lot of things I want to achieve, so the PR might still take a step back for other things like IT, transport. So with PR I want to take it a step further, I also want to combine
PR and IT because today everything is about IT as well as a couple of other things but then I pray God willing I would be able to accomplish all before I leave this earth.

EA: Wishing you all the very best
Linda. And congratulations once
again.

Linda: Thank you, thank you.

Source: Exclusive Africa.