Meet Ahiakwo Joy, the exceptional student who has made Caleb University proud by emerging as the overall best graduating student.
Joy graduated from the Department of Industrial Chemistry with a 4.98 CGPA. With her outstanding academic achievement, Joy has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to excellence, hard work, and dedication.
We’re excited to sit down with Joy and learn more about her academic journey, her passions, and her plans for the future. From her experiences at Caleb University to her aspirations and goals, Joy’s story is sure to inspire and motivate.
Let’s hear from her in this exclusive interview.
Table of Contents
Joy, can we meet you? Let’s get to know you—your background
Well, my name is Joy. I’m 25. I grew up in Lagos—I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. I’m the second of four kids and the first girl. I’m a believer in Christ. I sort of consider myself a creative. I like science. I don’t know—I think it’s a weird question to ask me to talk about myself.
That’s nice. So Ms. Joy, what does it mean to be the overall best graduating student of Caleb University? How do you feel?
If I’m being honest, it hasn’t really felt so different. If anything, it just made people start looking at me differently, because for some weird reason, people don’t see me as someone who likes her books. So now they look at me like, “Oh, that’s the girl.” But I don’t feel 100% different because my life hasn’t drastically changed.
One thing it has done for me is open doors to great possibilities—within my convocation date and now, I’ve had so many interviews, and people reaching out to me for help or mentorship. I just didn’t think my story would interest people this much. So, it’s been a journey, but I still feel like the same person I was before it all happened.
I’m glad to hear that. So Ms. Joy, can you tell us about your academic journey at Caleb University—or just your academic journey in general?
I feel like when I was in primary and high school, I just assumed education was a straight line—you finish one stage, move on to the next. While I was still in high school, I got admission to study in America. I took the admission and had to leave.
People who know me personally would know I left school and had to come back to Nigeria in 2019. I didn’t get back into school until 2021, so I wasn’t in school for at least two and a half years.
I got admission into Caleb University in 2021 as a Direct Entry student. So instead of four years, I spent three years. I started in 2021 and finished in 2024. I convocated in January of this year. So yeah, my journey has been a lot of things, really.
Wow, that’s really an impressive journey. What were some of the challenges you faced at university, and how were you able to overcome them?
My biggest challenge at Caleb University was that my coursework got really bulky sometimes. With chemistry—not just chemistry but industrial chemistry—it got quite intense. But I enjoy chemistry, so as bulky as it got, it was fun trying to learn everything.
Most of my courses were related to each other, so while they were a lot, one topic in a course would relate to another in a different course, which helped. Another thing was that private schools in Nigeria don’t offer much of a social life—it was just school, church, hostel.
Coming from America, where no one really cares what you do, that was an adjustment. But I learned to be 100% present wherever I found myself. While I was at school, I focused on school. So I wouldn’t say it was a huge roadblock. My biggest challenge was just my books—that’s what I was there for.
You talked about your course being bulky. Walk us through how you were able to manage your reading. Did you have a specific reading pattern?
When I say “bulky,” I mean we had a lot to cover in a short time. A lecturer could give us a 100-page PDF and expect us to fully grasp it in two weeks. Of course, the entire 100 pages wouldn’t be in the exam, but you had to know it.
What helped me was never letting my coursework pile up. If we were taught something on Monday, I’d try to go over it by Friday. That way, the following week, I wasn’t still catching up. I also made sure to attend my classes. That helped a lot—because when I’m reading later, I can recall what the lecturer said.
A lot of students skip classes, but for me, I didn’t have much else to do but go to class, so it really helped. I can’t say I had a specific pattern—like reading at 5 AM or anything. I just read. And because I love chemistry, reading was actually enjoyable for me. It wasn’t forced.
That’s really nice. So, how do you think your academic achievement—being the best graduating student—will impact your future career?
There are two sides to this. Some people believe a first-class doesn’t mean much—it just means you’re book smart, not necessarily analytical. Some even say if you went to a public school, you wouldn’t have had that CGPA. But the truth is, when I was in America, I had a 3.98 out of 4.00.
So, I don’t like it when people undermine the effort private school students put in. On the other hand, some believe that if you can get that kind of CGPA, you’re capable of applying your skills to anything. I love chemistry, and I want to work in a science-related field—maybe not manufacturing or research, but consulting or something similar.
People have told me not to limit myself to chemistry. Since graduation, I’ve had companies reach out to me that aren’t science-related. That was shocking to me because I’ve always been in the science space. But my dad said I should take it in stride—it means I’m adaptable.
So yeah, graduating with that record has opened many doors. And it showed me that what you study in school isn’t always what determines your career. If I stay open, there are many things I could actually do.
So what was your favorite aspect of your university experience? You know, private school and all—what did you enjoy most?
Honestly, my favorite part was the friendships I made. I’m usually not super friendly at first—it takes me time to open up. But the room they put me when I resumed in 200 level was full of girls who were like me.
We bonded quickly. We were all so alike—skinny, light-skinned—and we just clicked. We’re still good friends till now. That sisterhood, that bond—it was beautiful. You don’t often see that with female friendships. And because the school didn’t really have a social life, those friendships were my life.
That’s so sweet! So what was your social life like at Caleb University?
It was more or less non-existent. When I got there, we only had departmental week—trade fair, dinner, and that was it. Even the dinners had to end by 5 or 6 PM, which is technically not dinner. And we had dress codes.
Coming from America, where I was used to going out and having fun, it was quite the adjustment. But I told myself, “I’ll only be here for a few months; let me just focus and go back home later.” By 400 level, though, the school started incorporating more social activities—Vice Chancellor’s Cup, final year week—and I really enjoyed those.
I tried to attend events, not as a main participant but more as an observer. It was fun to see people express themselves on stage.
So you were more of an observer, but you liked the activities—that’s good! Were you involved in any extracurricular activities?
Not really. I just didn’t find anything that appealed to me. There were drama, music, and dance clubs, but they weren’t for me. My activities mostly revolved around tutorials and friends.
By 300 level, one of my lecturers encouraged me to start a student Chemistry Society. I was interested, but it didn’t really take off. I tried again in 400 level, but it still didn’t fly. That’s one of my regrets—not pushing harder to see it through. So no real extracurriculars—just books and church.
That still turned out great. Were there any notable projects or research you worked on?
Yes! During my SIWES, a lecturer who was on sabbatical at Caleb introduced us to a collaborative program between Nigeria and a school in the Netherlands. It focused on sustainable practices. I was selected to participate, and it was amazing. We got to work with students from other countries, learn about their cultures, and come up with sustainable solutions together.
My final-year project was also special. It was on how transition metals can be used for antibacterial purposes. Doing the research opened my eyes to how much impact chemistry has on real-world problems. Reading literature, reviewing past projects, and seeing the global relevance of what I studied—it was all amazing. I loved it.
Wow, that’s a lot! So, Miss Joy, how did your overall university experience shape your personal and professional growth?
First, it made me realize that life can literally change in a moment. Whatever situation you’re in—it’s not permanent. If someone had told me in 2019 or early 2021 that I’d graduate with a 4.98 CGPA and be doing interviews like this, I would never have believed it. That in 2025 this would be happening to me—I would have doubted it, because in the years I left U.I.C., I had to more or less start over. It was a process of crying, a lot of things going on, so I wouldn’t have believed it.
But now that I’m here, those moments seem like such little things in the greater picture of my entire journey. So I’d say one thing I picked up is that life is really not stagnant. As bad as a situation may feel to a person, in a couple of months, weeks, or even days, you’ll look back and maybe laugh. When I was experiencing those things, I wasn’t laughing—I was really upset. But now I can look back and laugh and be like, “Wow, I can’t believe I thought that was the worst life could be.” That’s one of my biggest takeaways in my entire journey.
Another thing I’d say is to embrace the process. The beauty of life, and the way to get balance out of life, is to be present in each moment. People struggle with not having work-life balance, and one thing I’ve learned is: while you’re in a certain place or doing a certain thing, try to bask in that moment as much as you can.
While I was in school, I focused on school and books. When I was home, I focused on relationships, social life, my small business. I tried as best as I could not to mix everything together—but sometimes, they did clash. I remember I got an order for work, and I was set to leave school the next day to get it done, but I also had a test. I felt really stuck—this is money coming in, but this is also my grade on the line. So I tried not to let those two mix and just be present in every moment.
A lot of people struggle with “How do I balance this and that?” I think it’s about being present as much as you can in each moment. The balance will come from that. So those two things—understanding that life is not stagnant, and being present—are my biggest takeaways.