Excitement in Lagos as BYU-Pathway graduates 200 students
By Oluseye Ojo
It was a joy galore for 200 students that proudly donned their caps and gowns, marking their graduation from Brigham Young University-Pathway Worldwide programme in Lagos, Nigeria, at the weekend.
The PathwayConnects completion ceremony, held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos, was a momentous occasion and the sixth of its kind in the city.
Dr. Victor Ukorebi, the International Area Manager for BYU-Pathway and a revered figure similar to a Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, presided over the ceremony. Akinsola Olaoluwa, the Assistant Area Coordinating Missionary for BYU-Pathway Nigeria, expertly guided the proceedings.
Founded in 1875 by a religious leader, Brigham Young, and being sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU is a prestigious private research university in the United States.
As a pathway programme, BYU-Pathway Worldwide aims to facilitate online learning for students, ultimately preparing them for admission into degree programmes offered at BYU in Idaho in the United States or Eshine College in Accra, Ghana.
Two among the standout graduates, Oladipupo Abiodun and Gloria Ogbuehi, expressed their immense excitement and gratitude for the programme. Abiodun, acknowledging the value of the knowledge he gained, emphasised: “I feel so blessed to be a part of this journey and I invite others to join us.” Ogbuehi shared a similar sentiment, saying: “The PathwayConnect program has taught me perseverance, patience, and time management. It has also shown me the importance of using my education to make a positive impact on my community.”
Ukorebi highlighted the unique mission of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, explaining its focus on employment-driven education. “Most of our students in Nigeria are working for companies in the United States,” he stated proudly. “This is what sets us apart and makes us unique from other institutions. We have had a total of 7,000 students in Nigeria since our inception in 2018.”
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During his keynote address, Ukorebi stressed the significance of learning and cultivating the right attitude. He introduced an acronym, L.E.A.R.N, where L stands for learning, E for educating others, A for having the right attitude, R for repentance, and N for being nice to others.
Dr. Larry Hall, an Assistant Area Coordinator with BYU-Pathway. who came from the United States, said the programme was designed to give quality education to people at a highly subsidised rate.
Communication Director for Lagos, Abuja, Enugu Council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ikpe George Nkanang, also.said, “One thing that is marvellous in the BYU-Pathway is that after obtaining two degrees, I came to study the programme. In fact, I was ashamed of myself. What I learnt here diferred from what I was taught in the university.
“What s happening here is the application of the knowledge that you learned, happens here in the Pathway. So, they teach you this, deep leadership, and how to be useful in you community. Your education is not for you. Your education is for the advancement of the general community that you live in; and thats what Pathway focuses on. So, it is individual development.
“It is a programme that focuses you and trains you to become a leader. It is driven by church and some NGOs. The students pay subsidised tuition fee. I dont think each student pay up to N13,000 per session.”
Elder Christian Chigbundu, an Area Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his closing remarks, advised the students “Be courageous, be mentally tough, be discipline, be passionate, be patient, develop yourself, work to live and live to work and balance your time.”
The Area Coordination Missionary for Nigeria for the churxh, Susan Sorenson, also charged them: “You cant begin to imagine all of the people that will be blessed from this point forward, the lives that you will touch, and it will have an eternal impact on other people in your life.”
Mrs. Moyosore Asubiojo, the Board and Partners Relations Manager from Venture Garden Group, encouraged tr graduands to see opportunities to learn, develop themselves, and make the best out of every challenge.