Nigerian emerges best African female postgraduate student in China

Ayoola Oluwakemi, an alumna of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA currently undergoing her Ph.D. programme in Primate Genomic Conservation and Evolution in Kunming Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS has won the prestigious 2019 China Excellent International Students Award.

She is the only African female student with that distinction in a pool of 40 international students who won the award organised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Every year, some international students adjudged to be outstanding in learning and character, who are studying sciences in all China Provinces under the aegis of the University of Chinese Academy of Science, UCAS, are nominated by CAS institutes across the country based on their performance and academic achievements. The best of the lot are thereafter selected and declared as winners of the Excellent International Students Award.

According to the organisers of the programme, to win the award, international students must demonstrate clear purpose of learning, diligent study and consistent excellent academic performances.

Other criteria include adherence to Chinese and school’s law and regulations, respect for professors, care of public property, paying attention to sanitation and being good role models in school through active participation in the activities of the schools.

The award is held annually by China to encourage international students to study hard and also create in UCAS a brand for the training of international talents.

Ayooola graduated from FUTA with B (Agric.) Tech- Ecotourism and Wildlife management with a Second Class Upper Division in 2014. She also obtained a Master of Agricultural Technology with a distinction in 2017.

She served in FUTA as a teaching assistant in the Department of Ecotourism and Wildlife Management Department between 2015 and 2017. She won the CAS-TWAS Ph.D. President Fellowship in 2017 to study Primate Conservation Genomics and Evolution in China.

The vice chancellor of FUTA, Professor Joseph Fuwape, has congratulated Ayoola, saying “she has joined a growing list of FUTA alumni doing the university and the country proud in the global arena.”