St. Timothy High School valedictorian Adaeze Ogboruche has a passion for learning, and a passion for mathematics, in particular, which will take her far in life. However, when she was recently called upon to make a speech at the graduation ceremony for the class of 2024, Ogboruche knew she was operating a bit outside her normal comfort zone.
“I was really nervous about the speech part, which was kind of part of the (valedictorian) selection process,” she admitted. “I tried to incorporate themes of gratitude and courage.”
But just like she has done throughout her stellar academic career to date, which included recently scoring 100 per cent in math at graduation, Ogboruche rose to the occasion.
She noted some of the grads were in tears hearing her speech, and many of the family members in the audience came up to her after to say they were moved by her words.
“I wanted to give that kind of speech because not only was it a message to these grads, it was also a reminder to myself,” she said. “Gratitude is one of the best cures to anxiety, because when you take a moment to acknowledge what you have, and how far you have made it, it becomes a lot easier to push forward. The speech starts and ends with ‘everything will be okay.’ I wanted to give that reassuring message.”
As for her own path forward after graduation, Ogboruche recently won a $60,000 scholarship to attend Queens University in Kingston, where she will study mechanical engineering.
Ogboruche is excited for this next chapter.
“I always wanted to do something in engineering,” she explained. “You have your math and science people, and you have your language arts (LA) people. I am the former. Mechanical engineering stuck out to me because I like the concept of thinking about how objects move.
“Things just move in our day-to-day life. Our bodies move, our systems move, our cars move, but there is a precise science which goes into it, and that is very fascinating to me.”
Beyond this fascination for the mechanical, Ogboruche sees engineering as a type of higher calling for herself, a way to make huge differences in people’s lives.
“I want to work with a big group of people and I want to be part of bigger projects,” she explained. “I am social, and I want to do something which contributes to a greater society. A friend of mine is currently in Bolivia building a bridge, which people need. I want to do something like that.”
Whatever exciting twists and turns her life takes from here on, Ogboruche will always be grateful to St. Timothy’s and all the people in her life who have so constantly supported her.
“I have gotten a lot of support, and I am very grateful for the people around me, who have been very encouraging,” she said. “The people in my life have always been very good at encouraging me and helping me move forward.
“One of the really nice things about St. Timothy’s is that it’s a small school. We don’t maybe have the benefit of organizing big events like other schools do, but then the relationships we build within the school community, especially with the teachers for me personally, is very significant. For a school so small, the teachers there are all very passionate. They are all dedicated to their work, and you can really tell.”
