By Opeyemi Adelakun
Twenty-year-old Oluwadamilola Soji-Oderinde has revealed how artificial intelligence tools, disciplined study habits and support from family and course mates helped him graduate with first-class honours in Software Engineering from Babcock University.
Soji-Oderinde graduated with a 4.52 CGPA after completing his undergraduate studies at the university, where he combined academics with leadership roles, extracurricular activities and personal projects.
Speaking about his academic journey, the graduate said he relied on AI tools including ChatGPT, Gemini and Acad AI to deepen his understanding of difficult courses rather than simply memorising study materials.
According to him, the tools helped him generate quizzes, discuss notes and slides, and simplify complex subjects through practical explanations.
“One of the things I would do was use AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT and Acad AI to generate quizzes and kind of converse about my notes and slides after reading, to understand them even better,” he said.
He recalled that one of the concepts he struggled with was Z Schemas, a topic in a course titled Formal Methods and Specifications.
“So, sometimes, I would spend time with AI apps, asking them to explain things as simply as possible and relate them to real-world examples to help me understand the concept better,” he added.
The graduate, who grew up in Maiduguri, Borno State, despite being originally from Oyo State, said academic excellence had been strongly emphasised in his family from childhood.
His father is a professor, and Soji-Oderinde said his parents made academic excellence a priority while also exposing their children to books, documentaries, films and stories about successful people.
“Academic excellence was non-negotiable,” he said when asked about the expectations he faced growing up with a professor as a father.
He said he had consistently performed well academically in secondary school and often came first in his class, but became more deliberate about graduating with a first class during his 300-Level.
According to him, he had maintained a CGPA around 4.4 and realised that a 4.5 was within reach.
“The first thing I did was intentionally set it as a goal I wanted to achieve, rather than something I simply hoped to get. I also dedicated more time to studying, knowing that I couldn’t achieve different results with the same effort I had been putting in,” he said.
Soji-Oderinde said he preferred understanding concepts to cramming and used active recall and past questions as major components of his study routine.
He also studied more intensively at night, particularly before examinations, because he found the quieter environment more conducive.
“I’d use past questions, and when reading, I’d try to approach course materials as if I were the one setting the questions, asking myself, ‘What do I think a lecturer would ask from this?’” he said.
He also acknowledged the role of his course mates, saying he sought help from friends whenever he encountered difficult concepts.
“I would go to a course mate to teach me the way they understood it and ask a lot of questions. I would also try to understand the course practically to understand the theory,” he said.
Despite his academic success, Soji-Oderinde said his final year was marked by anxiety after his grades temporarily fell below his expectations.
With only one semester remaining, he became worried that he might not achieve his first-class ambition.
“At one point, my grades weren’t going the way I had expected, and with one semester left, I was genuinely afraid that I wasn’t going to graduate with a First Class,” he said.
He said the pressure affected his sleep while he was also juggling leadership responsibilities and other commitments.
However, he credited consistency, intentionality and time management for helping him recover.
“I didn’t rely on being naturally smart. I had to put in the work and understand the demands of my courses,” he said.
Soji-Oderinde also disclosed that he sacrificed personal time and sleep during demanding academic periods and suspended his startup plans in 400-Level because he could not effectively combine them with his studies and other responsibilities.
His startup idea was focused on making customised AI chatbots more accessible and affordable to Nigerians without requiring technical knowledge.
He said his interest in technology has since evolved towards artificial intelligence, particularly customisable AI chatbots, agentic AI and MCP servers that allow AI agents to interact with external services.
Beyond academics, Soji-Oderinde held several leadership positions at Babcock University, including Crowdsource Team Lead for GDG Babcock, Senator, Director of Public Relations and Executive President of the Babcock University Computer Club.
He said the computer club represented more than 3,500 students.
The experience, he said, strengthened his leadership, resilience, time-management and programme-management skills.
Soji-Oderinde identified his sister, Shalom Soji-Oderinde, and Mileke Kolawole, his 100-Level faculty club president, among the people who motivated him throughout his academic journey.
He also credited his parents for their unwavering support, particularly during difficult academic periods.
“My mum would say, ‘Go and fulfil your dreams,’” he recalled.
After seeing his final result, Soji-Oderinde said he was overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion and repeatedly checked the university portal because the achievement initially felt unreal.
He now plans to develop further as a software engineer, build a career in developer relations and continue working on his startup.
“I want to continue growing as a software engineer while also building my career in developer relations,” he said. “I also want to continue building my startup.”
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