• Joy, 15, who scored 362 in UTME reveals her secret
From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Three months before now, Miss Joy Ejikeme, an SS III student of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School (AGSS), Nnewi, Anambra State, did not she would be celebrated this way. She is the overall best candidate in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
She confessed to The Education Report that she never knew she would score up to 362, even though she prepared well for the exam. She did not hesitate to share the secret of her success, which she attributed to God first before the revelation of how she made it:
“I made it by the grace of God. There was a scholarly app I downloaded from the Play Store on my phone as directed by my counsellors. That app contains past questions. I took my time to go through them. I did that three months before the examination and that helped me a lot.
“I was expecting to have about 300 but I didn’t know it would be up to 362. I was really overwhelmed when I saw my result. But I surely believe in myself.”
Joy picked the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as her first choice. She hopes to study Medicine: “This placed more responsibility on me to study hard to make her papers in the on going West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to easy my admission.
“My mother also motivated me. She wants me to be a medical doctor and kept telling me that when I was still young. And as I grow up, it is no longer my mother’s decision alone I also decided to do Medicine.
She said most of her fellow students have been coming to her after the result was made public to know the secret. She never hesitated to tell them her that the secret of success remains handwork.
The Vice Principal (Administration) of the school, Mrs Florence Ezeudoegbunam, said their students have always been doing well in external examinations. She admitted that Joy’s performance is extraordinary.
She said Joy joined the school as an SS1 student from Oba Girls’ Secondary School in Idemili South Local Government: “AGSS has always excelled in academics with serious-minded teachers, who handle the students in all aspects of studies and overall development.”
Joy’s father, Romanus Ejikeme, was elated: “The entire family has been enveloped with joy.” The musician from Oduma, Aninri Local Government, Enugu State, does Okada business on part-time to make ends meet: “My highlife brand of music remains my choice of livelihood.
“Joy has been studious right from her nursery school days. She was taking the first position in her class examinations.”
As a result of her performance, the Chairman of Innoson Vehicles, Chief Innocent Chukwuma awarded a N3 million scholarship to Joy: “The company will continue to demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility through various initiatives, including scholarship awards, job creation and support for local communities.
“This latest scholarship award is a testament to Innoson Vehicles’ dedication to empowering young Nigerians and investing in the future of the nation.”
In the 2023 UTME, Joy scored 362. She made English Language 98, Physics 89, Biology 94 and Chemistry 81.
