*Family, Others Jubilant
By Ademola Adegoke
It has been rejoicing, back patting and overflow of messages of congratulations to the family of former Director, Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Tpl. Akanimo Udoh, over the remarkable academic feat of his youngest daughter, Udoh Uwana Akanimo, who recently graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Mass Communication from the prestigious Benson Idahosa University (BIU), Benin City, Edo State.
Friends, admirers, relations, acquaintances and others within the country and in the Diaspora have inundated the family with flowery messages hailing the distinctive accomplishment of the young lady.
Fondly called just Uwana, she practically led the class throughout her four years of study at the institution, one of Nigeria’s stand-out and truly respected private universities.
Classmates said it was a no-brainer to them that she would eventually make First Class, revealing that from her first year in the school, Uwana applied herself to her studies in a particularly driven and focused manner that confounded most.
But, she did not just excel in the classroom. Amid the litter of children of the affluent, who routinely dominate the demographics of such universities, Uwana was determined to distinguish herself as not just another one, becoming in the process a student leader, entrepreneur, creative professional, and role model to her peers.
A Record Of Leadership And Service
Right from her sophomore (or 200 Level) year, Uwana demonstrated a passion for leadership and service.
She was elected as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the university’s Association of Mass Communication Students (AMCOS). At 300 Level, she rose to become the Director of Academics, where she championed academic excellence and student welfare initiatives.
In her final year (400 Level), she was elected President of AMCOS, leading the departmental association with vision, coordination and was a strong voice for the students who had unanimously elected her, based on trust in her abilities and capacities.
Her tenure was marked by increased student engagement, academic programs, and a stronger bond between students and faculty.
Beyond The Classroom: Entrepreneur, Creator And Artist
Being smart and realistic to the nation’s current, and possibly future, economic realities, Uwana’s university journey was defined by more than just excellent academic grades.
While maintaining a First Class academic trajectory, she built a thriving personal brand and multiple businesses on campus.
The youngster pushed her innate creative core to the fore as a full-time content creator with the handle @uwanaakanimo, building a community around lifestyle and beauty content — an original ideas platform dedicated to pushing young people to become better versions of themselves, featuring messages of self-growth, confidence, discipline and authenticity.
Not done, Uwana also worked professionally as a makeup artist, with her talent earning her the role of beauty and makeup artist for The Smile Collector, the first feature film ever produced by the university’s Department of Mass Communication.
Balancing academics with enterprise, she ran various businesses on campus, proving that it is possible to be financially independent as a student without compromising academic goals.
Brand Influence And Impact
Unsurprisingly, her talent quickly caught the eye of major brands and she has worked with Darling, Mega Growth, L’Oréal Paris and several other top beauty and lifestyle brands through collaborations, deploying her popular platform to promote products while staying true to her message of empowerment and self-development.
‘You Can Do It All’
Speaking on her journey, Uwana said: “You can serve your community, build your personal brand and be an excellent student.”
She represents a new generation of undergraduates who successfully merge academics, career, and personal brands, with positively devastating dividends.
She is proof that a young undergraduate can have a social life, build a brand, serve the community, and still graduate with a First Class.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Uwana and her obviously impressed father at the convocation ceremony.
