The 26 year old was the motivational speaker at the event where her inspiring rendition vibrated the expansive school auditorium as new students clapped endlessly in acknowledgement of Romola’s inspiring words. Romola emerged the youngest doctoral graduate of the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Right in February this year. University of Pretoria is 107 years old. Spotting an ankara blouse with in orange and shades of blue colours with a black skirt to match, Romola told the new students, that students that come to study could be split into three categories-‘those who are indifferent about university degree’; ‘those who want a university degree’; and ‘those who need a university degree’. According to her, those in the first category are students who come to the university to merely catch their fun and show little concern about their grades since they spend a substantial part of their times on frivolities. To Romola, those students often end up regretting eventually because their degree do not make them marketable for employment opportunities. The second categories are students who are though serious about acquiring a degree; yet are not ready to pay the price to acquire a quality degree. “The degree these one carry are the ones that are saturating the labour market now; and because their degrees are almost the same in status, they become victims of competition. So it is the survival of the fittest,” she said However those who need a degree are the ones who put extra efforts and get to where they and their parents want them to be, Romola added. “Those in this category posses certain attributes;” she continued. “They are hardworking, sensitive to distractions; and use their time wisely. They are very imaginative, committed to succeed, identify with friends with similar goals and above all yield to God.” “The first category is easy because what those students need to do is simply play; the second one is to either succeed or not but the third are those that remained focused all through.” Romola admonished students to imagine themselves in her (Romola) shoes, noting that her feat at the University of Pretoria was not as a result of being extra intelligent but rather inculcating those virtues those in the third category possess. The university vice chancellor Prof Lanre Faghohun said the population of the 32 year-old institution now stands at 8,239 as against 573 undergraduate and pre degree students the university first recorded in 1984. Fagbohun who said he was proud of Romola as an alumnus, added that LASU has weathered the storm despite the bad publicity it has suffered due to incessant crisis between workers, students and management. “While it is true that the university has had some challenges in time past, particularly in the area of academic disruptions, it has without doubt achieved enormous success. We have had the honour of producing great and exceptional minds who have made their mark, and who today occupy the commanding height of economic, politics and social landscape in and outside Nigeria,” Fagbohun boasted. He urged all to be committed to the current rebranding of the university, imbibing the new motto: “We are LASU; we are Proud”.]]>