NIFES President emerges Systems Engineering BGS

Robotics Enthusiast Shares Algorithm for Success

By Elizabeth Ukey, Blessing Famose, and Abimbola Adelakun

Systems Engineering, an interdisciplinary field of engineering which some may view as difficult and complex was where Benard Adewole found himself and graduated as the best graduating student of the department. Graduating with a CGPA of 4.89, the tech enthusiast had always strived to achieve this feat and evidently put in the work.

His academic journey was fueled by a drive for success which he admits is something he has yet to achieve completely. He is very passionate about growth, creativity, and innovation and always strives to attain the best he can.

The BGS attributes his success to a mantra he had learned from NIFES; his fellowship, where they were always encouraged to aim for the apex of 5.0 so the margin of error wouldn’t be too far off. He said, “Starting in year 1 with this drive, and motivation from senior colleagues in the same department, one who graduated with a perfect CGPA of 5.0, and another who had a first-class CGPA, I desired to do the same. Graduate with 5.0. But then the first semester, I came a little lower. I had about 4.86 (only 1 B).”

Benard didn’t see the need to be engaged in multiple activities until he felt like he could get a balance. His church, class, hostel, and library rectangle, as his friends teased, was only broken in his 3rd year. He also got the opportunity to serve as the first NIFES Unilag’s Vice president and then became President. Adding to this, he delved into designing as a freelancer to practice the skills he had acquired during the break. But in everything, his grades never slipped.

“Doing this along with serving as the president and still making time for quality relationships, was all about time management. Which I’d say I’d become better at over the years. Taking up one thing at a time and ignoring frivolities to make out time for things that really mattered.”

However, the journey was not all peaches and roses, as he had his moments of self-doubt and worry. He feared failing courses, dropping grades, and whatnot, but found encouragement in his success in previous semesters and faith in God to increase his efforts. Another source of motivation was his course adviser, Dr. Adeyele Olurotimi, who constantly asked about his academic standing.

Some of the strategies incorporated in his studies ranged from getting advice from senior colleagues to extensively reading recommended materials and other relevant sources and textbooks. He was a regular class-goer and caught one too many phrases and concepts that weren’t in any textbooks or materials and that were useful in studies, from attending classes. He also solved as many past questions as possible before exams.

After graduating, Benard hopes to broaden his expertise in the robotics field and gain further knowledge in addition to his academic foundation. In the long run, his major goal is prioritizing human-centric designs for the development of robotics that will be of positive social impact.