The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
By all means, look at your life,
your schedule, your strengths, and your weaknesses and set out structures that will work for you.
What worked for me might not work for you.
So, you need to know you, understand you, love you, and work with you.
“You Can Eat Your Cake and Have It” Oshamisu Enebeli
By David Oletu (DCM)
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
Are You Sacrificing Too Much for Academic Excellence?
Many students today mistakenly believe that achieving academic success requires sacrificing their social and spiritual lives.
But is that really the kind of excellence God desires from us?
Meet Oshamisu Enebeli.
Despite being actively involved in various extracurricular and faith activities, Oshamisu graduated with a first-class degree.
Now, she’s on a mission to empower fellow students to achieve academic excellence without compromising their spiritual growth and social well-being.
Join us as we delve into Oshamisu Mercy Enebeli’s inspiring story,
to get insights on how well we can balance academics, extracurricular activities, and spiritual growth; achieving all-round excellence!
Daniel 6:3 KJV
[3] Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
https://bible.com/bible/1/dan.6.3.KJV
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
DCM: Can we meet you?
Oshamisu: Hello, my name is Oshamisu Mercy Enebeli.
I’m a foreign language enthusiast and an academic coach.
Currently, I teach French both online and offline, and I run an Ace Your Exams Community,
where I teach students from over 40 universities within and outside Nigeria how to study efficiently, retain knowledge, and perform excellently in their exams.
DCM: Can you share your significant educational journey with us—the many things you were engaged with while in school aside from books?
Oshamisu: I have always been an academic lover.
This earned me the 1st position almost throughout my primary education.
I finished my secondary school as the best overall art student 2017/2018 set,
and the best overall student 2017/2018 set at Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos -Nigeria.
This excellence continued at the University of Benin as I gained admission into the foreign languages department as a French major student.
While in school, I engaged in several activities.
From 2020 to 2021, I was the assistant follow-up leader in my campus fellowship.
At the same time, I was holding night classes for my younger colleagues three times a week,
until I became the assistant Academic Director of La Communion Des Saints Intellectuels, a French NGO, in 2022.
That same year, I started attending a lot of trainings, among which included the Poise Nigeria Career Kickstart training.
That same year, I gained admission into a one-year leadership school (Ignite Startup in partnership with the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development).
I was a team leader while in that school and was added to the school’s hall of fame after my graduation.
In 2023 (400 level), I also worked as a French Accountability Coach in ‘Speak French Fast Academy (SFF)’ under the ‘Becoming The Greatest You Academy (BGY).’
In April 2024, I started my ‘Ace Your Exams’ community and hosted my first webinar with over 400 students in attendance.
Right now, we have over 700 students from over 40 universities, and we teach the weekly principles that will help them become better students.
I finally graduated with a first class from the foreign languages department.
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
DCM: How did you balance academics with extracurricular and church activities?
Oshamisu: The first thing I did was to decide that I was going to do all the things I was engaged in and none was going to suffer.
I believe the first step to getting anything done is to believe that it is possible.
This I did, and then I set up structures that helped me.
First, I don’t stop classes.
I hardly saw movies while school was in session. And I made sure I read every week.
Also, I went for night class at least once weekly because I knew I couldn’t read in my house, and I had my friends keep me accountable.
In all, God helped me. Sincerely, none suffered because He helped me.
People need to know this: You can eat your cake and have it; all it takes is discipline.
You can’t live your life like everyone else and expect to produce a different result.
For me, I couldn’t watch films like my mate, and I couldn’t do purposeless outings and visitations because I didn’t have that time.
So, count the cost for the result you want and be willing to pay the price.
DCM: Do you ever feel like your extracurricular activities would limit your academic performance?
Oshamisu: I graduated with a first-class, so I think the answer to this is evidently No.
I don’t think I could have done better than I did. I did well.
It’s the reason I tell my younger colleagues that it is absolutely unwise to be a full-time student in this day and time.
Start working on your passions now. You can be so much more than just a student, and none has to suffer for the other.
DCM: What strategies did you use to manage your time effectively to prioritise tasks and focus on multiple responsibilities?
Oshamisu: I can’t really say that I used any strategy, but there are certain things I did.
First, I was intentional about study time.
You see, I made sure that no matter how busy I got, I read every week.
and I made sure that I knew what was happening in the school environment even if I did not go.
My friend also played a pivotal role in keeping me consistent.
I remember when I got so busy that I started missing assignments.
When they’re trying to submit, that’s when I’ll be rushing to do mine.
My friend told me one day that the next time he would see me doing an assignment in class, that was the last time he would talk to me.
So, I had to buckle up and balance my life.
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
DCM: What benefits did you derive from participating in extracurricular activities and spiritual gatherings in school?
Oshamisu: Sincerely, time and space will not permit me to talk about all the benefits I derived from engaging in extracurricular activities and spiritual activities.
For me in school, I did not just see myself as a student; I saw myself as a system.
So, no matter how busy school gets, I made sure that every other aspect of my life didn’t suffer.
I never did that thing that students do when it’s time for exams; they keep aside every other thing and focus on the exam.
I think one of my major secrets was that I don’t prepare for a semester exam one week before the exam,
but I prepare for the semester exam in the full semester,i.e., from the beginning of the semester.
That way, I didn’t have to pause every other thing when the exam comes.
So yeah, engaging in extracurricular activities and spiritual gatherings while in school helped me in such a way that it enlarged my capacity.
I could be more because I did more.
And I am different from my average mate because I engaged with extra knowledge much more than what the school offered.
These things helped to build me and stretch me.
It brought out the genius in me and helped me to be able to understand Time Management by practical and not by just reading.
DCM: What challenges did you face in your academics, and how did you overcome them?
Oshamisu: I really cannot say that I faced academic challenges. And I don’t think there was ever a time when I was struggling academically.
The only thing I can say is that as I progressed in levels, I became busier,
so, it seemed like there was no longer time to focus on my academics because the number of things that demanded my attention increased.
This was my major challenge: time management.
I overcame it by first clearly defining what I wanted from school and life—to be the best I could be.
After doing that, I ensured I worked towards that goal daily.
DCM: What advice would you give to students struggling to balance academics with their spiritual life or extracurriculars?
Oshamisu: If you’re struggling to balance your academics with every other aspect of your life,
the first advice I’ll give you is this: you must first believe that it is possible to balance all you want to do.
You need to see that none has to suffer for the other. Once you can see it, it becomes easier to achieve.
Secondly, clearly define what you want from all the things you are engaged in.
Also, know why you want them.
When you know what you want and why you want them, it becomes easier to sacrifice all that needs to be sacrificed to get what you want.
Also, work with the end result in mind.
Once you can see the bigger picture, sacrificing your time, sleep, and pleasure becomes easier.
and once you’ve done this, intentionally set out structures that will work for you.
Not everybody can read every day. You can decide to study three times a week or once a week.
And You can decide to divide all the things you are doing into different days of the week.
By all means, look at your life, your schedule, your strengths, and your weaknesses and set out structures that will work for you.
What worked for me might not work for you.
So, you need to know you, understand you, love you, and work with you.
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
DCM: What resources of support systems would you recommend for students?
Oshamisu: The first and major support system I would recommend to any student is a working relationship with the Holy Spirit.
He is the strength of the believer; you can rely on him.
I call Him my sanity because when the load becomes too heavy to bear,
He carries it for me, blows strength into my veins,
and speaks encouraging words to my spirits that reignite my energy and fuel my resolve to be more and do more.
Also, learn how to take periodic breaks.
Time will come when you’ll be feeling overwhelmed; rest and continue the next day!
Lastly, never do school and life on your own. Don’t be a lone wolf. Work with people and learn from the experiences of your senior colleagues.
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
DCM: Lastly, could you share with us your unforgettable testimony of God’s faithfulness and grace in your life?
Oshamisu: There are many things to say here, but this is the major thing that made me achieve what I achieved academically.
When I saw my UNIBEN 100-level results, and I had a 3.9 GPA. But I was very sad even though I had “9 As” in that result. Because I expected to be on 4 points.
So, I prayed and told God that my 100-level results will be my worst result in uniben, and it happened.
I do not think I worked harder in subsequent levels than I did in 100 level, but I never had a better last result.
He told me that the glory of the latter will be greater than the former: that was the word He gave me.
I interpreted it as never having a better last result and it has been so.
Again, I was studying my Bible one day, and I stumbled on the place where Queen Sheba asked King Solomon several questions,
and the Bible recorded that Solomon had answers to all the questions that Queen Sheba asked him.
Then, the Holy Spirit told me, “You will have answers to all the questions your lecturers will ask you.”
Since then, I’m never caught unawares. No matter what comes out in exams, I know what to write.
My whole academic journey from primary school up to the university has been the hand of God.
I don’t count myself as being more intelligent than anybody else. It has just been God’s grace and mercy.
DCM: Any final thoughts?
Oshamisu: You can be anything you want to be. You can also have anything you want to have.
You just have to be dogged and disciplined! The world is rooting for you. Don’t fall their hand!
Also Read: I Relied on Prayer to Find Clarity and Strength. – John Lawrence. – Diademng (thediademng.org)
The Balancing Act: A Conversation with Oshamisu Enebeli
