Written by Charles Ogwo – BusinessDay
Mmesoma Okonkwo, the Anambra State-born Nigerian excellent 17-year-old girl depicts the ideology of Ralph Marston, who once said that excellence is achieved through consistent effort and a strong mindset, and not just skill.
Mmesoma, who emerged the overall best in English Language, in the highly competitive Cambridge International Examination (CIE), has been consistent with her track record of excellence.
The announcement, made at the headquarters of Cambridge Assessment International Education in the United Kingdom, places Mmesoma at the zenith of English academic performance among hundreds of thousands of candidates from over 160 countries.
Her groundbreaking achievement not only highlights Nigeria’s growing potential in global academia but also shines a radiant spotlight on the excellence embedded in the country’s youth, especially the girl child.
In 2023, Mmesoma was the best graduating student, and the best in English Language, three years consecutively 2020-2022; besides, she won the Lagos State Inter-School Essay Competition in 2022, and best in Humanities at Chrisland Group Awards in 2023.
The 17-year-old brilliant Nigerian student who was named the best in the global assessment taken by students across the world, was a student of Chrisland High School, Victoria Garden City (VGC), where she served as the head girl of the 2023 set.
What makes Mmesoma’s feat even more admirable is that she not only topped the global charts in the Cambridge English examination but also scored A1 in all nine subjects in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC), a double distinction that places her in an elite class of academic prodigies.
Cambridge International, a division of the University of Cambridge, noted in its statement that Mmesoma demonstrated exceptional command of written and spoken English, exhibiting the highest degree of comprehension, creativity, grammar, and interpretation among all 2023 candidates worldwide.
According to a representative of Cambridge Assessment International Education at the 2023 series, “Her excellence is a testament to her diligence, the quality of education she received, and the power of global academic competitiveness.”
Credit: Business Day
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