….Becomes 1st black woman to graduate with a first-class degree
A young Nigerian lady named Osarieme Omonuwa broke the 121-year-old record of the University of Reading after she made history as the first-ever black woman to graduate from the university with a first-class degree.
Omonuwa obtained a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) at the University of Reading, England in the United Kingdom with first-class honors in 2024. Her achievement is history-making as she became the first black woman to graduate from the university to earn a degree with first-class grade.
He also received the University of Reading scholarship award and won recognition as the overall best in the international foundation programme. The university’s vice chancellor described her as a representative of their brightest and best students.
Omonuwa’s father, Augustine Omonuwa said he is very proud of her achievement adding that it is a testament of her hard work.
“I feel on top of the world as a father. I am a proud and happy father. She dedicated herself to the study and she got the reward,” he said.
Augustine, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said he influenced his daughter’s decision to study law. Given his legal background and that of his son, who is an engineer, he felt a strong desire for his daughter to follow in his professional footsteps.
To achieve this, he exposed her to top law firms and encouraged her to pursue a law degree. He said he felt a sense of responsibility to guide her towards this path and would have felt guilty if she had chosen a different career.
Augustine said despite her high school’s recommendation for a science-based path, he insisted on law due to their shared initials and his professional aspirations.
Omonuwa stated that she is honored and grateful to God for bringing her this far and also thankful to her family members who have encouraged her over the years to be a success.
“My father is a legal practitioner, who is so passionate about law. Anytime I have doubt he is always there to put me through difficult situations. He has been my rock and foundation. My mother has been wonderful and my big brother too is there advising me,” she said.
Talking about how she felt when she learned about her achievement, Omonuwa said she felt delighted to win the Chancellor’s Award. She added that she was not aware the kind of award existed, but she was sure she would graduate as one of the top students.
She said her greatest fear in life is failure or disappointment and believes the higher you go the farther you can fall.
“The fact that I am on a particular platform always urges me to push on,” she said.
