"I Wanted to Spite the Vice-Chancellor" - Crescent University 2026 Valedictorian Reveals Inspiration

The Overall Best Graduating Student of the 2025/2026 academic session, Muhsin Ashimi, has revealed that his pursuit of academic excellence was initially motivated by a desire to disprove remarks made by the Vice-Chancellor.

Ashimi, who graduated with a CGPA of 4.98 and recorded six perfect 5.00 GPAs across eight semesters, made the disclosure in his valedictory speech at the university's convocation.

"It is an honour to stand before you as the Overall Best Graduating Student. But if you had asked me at the beginning why I wanted to excel, my answer might have surprised you. I wanted to spite the Vice-Chancellor," he said.

He recalled that while serving as part of the Mass Communication Department's media team at a previous convocation, he heard the Vice-Chancellor remark that male students were not performing as well as female students academically.

"I decided I would become the best graduating student. I wanted to prove a point," Ashimi stated.

He recounted his academic struggles in secondary school, particularly with Mathematics, where he almost repeated classes, and how he overcame the challenge at Crescent University, scoring above 80 in Mathematics and Economics to earn his first 5.00 GPA.

Ashimi said his journey taught him that effort does not always guarantee expected outcomes, noting that despite sacrifices, including missing social activities, he once failed to achieve a 5.00 GPA, which left him heartbroken.

"You can give something your very best and still not get what you want. I realised that while I could take responsibility for my effort, I could not command the outcome. That belonged to Allah," he said.

He noted that what began as an attempt to prove someone else wrong became a journey of self-discovery.

"I had set out to prove someone else wrong. I ended up proving my old self wrong," he added.

Addressing fellow graduands, he advised them not to equate grades with self-worth. "Our grades are part of our story, not the entirety of it. Pursue excellence, but do not confuse your results with your worth."

He thanked the Vice-Chancellor, saying, "Had I never set out to prove you wrong, I might never have discovered how much I needed to prove myself right."

Ashimi acknowledged his friends, lecturers, department and family for their support throughout his academic journey.