A 16-year-old student of Chrisland Schools, Naomi Olayinka, has been named Top in the World in English as a Second Language in the 2024 Cambridge IGCSE examinations.
Her recognition by Cambridge Assessment International Education came after an exceptional performance in the June 2024 exam series, which featured 295,972 students from 4,581 schools across 140 countries.
For Naomi, a Chrisland Ikeja student, the award was a dream come true. She said she felt overwhelmed with gratitude for God, her teachers, and her parents who supported her journey.
“It was such a surreal moment. All I could think about was how the hard work had paid off,” she said.
Her love for English grew from how the language helps people express thoughts and emotions. She spent months preparing by reading daily, writing essays, and practising past questions. She also read novels, articles, and newspapers to build her vocabulary. Feedback from her teachers, she said, made her even better.
There were moments she felt stressed and unsure of herself, especially while balancing multiple subjects, but she pushed through. “I learned to take things one step at a time and trust the process,” she said.
Naomi hopes to become a lawyer so she can use her voice to stand for justice and make society fairer.
Chrisland’s Director of Schools, Mrs Ayoola Akinyeye, described her as an inspiring young leader, saying excellence is a tradition at the school. Similarly, Dr Olajide Onigbogi, Executive Head of Schools (Communications), said the school’s strong mentoring culture continues to bring out the best in every learner.
At Chrisland, he said, “teachers are more than instructors; they are mentors and moral guides,” ensuring every child is seen, supported, and guided to thrive.
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