By Irene Best Nyapendi
On October 25, 2024, Christy Asiimwe was named the best overall student at the 25th graduation ceremony of Uganda Christian University (UCU). A week later, on November 2, Robinson Asiimwe was recognized as the overall best graduate at the Institute for National Transformation.
Robinson was pursuing the Oak Seed Executive Leadership Course, an intensive, six-module program specifically designed to cultivate transformational leaders. Christy was pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education, where she garnered a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.8 out of 5.0. Robinson’s was 4.83.
Robinson and Christy do not just share a surname. The latter is the daughter of the former. Robinson was full of smiles as he witnessed his daughter get the best overall student award from among more than 1,000 graduates. .
“I was very happy for my daughter,” he said. “However, I wasn’t surprised to learn that she was the best overall student because she is self-driven, and I believed she would excel.”
At Christy’s graduation, Robinson not only attended the ceremony, but also got a photo opportunity with his daughter and the ceremony’s chief guest, Mr. Graham Yoko, the CEO of Accelerated Education Enterprises, along with UCU council chairperson, Bishop Alfred Olwa.
Just like the kind of training Robinson just graduated from, while at UCU, the 25-year-old Christy also got training in leadership. As a member of the Honors College, the training Christy received emphasized the tenets of academics, leadership, mentorship and service. The intention of the training is to produce a cadre of leaders who are practical, relevant and innovative.
Peggy Noll, the wife of UCU’s first vice chancellor, Prof. Stephen Noll, was Christy’s mentor during the latter’s time at the Honors College. Writing about her experience with Christy, Peggy Noll expressed her excitement meeting a student who was “serious about her faith as well as her education.”
“Christy’s long-term goals include working in education, possibly curriculum development, and becoming a servant leader in that sphere,” Peggy wrote in the article.
During a recent interview with Uganda Partners, Christy said she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in curriculum development and education management. With that training, she expects to influence educational policy, and shape a curriculum that is more responsive to the needs of Uganda’s youth.
“I would love to build effective and affordable systems of education because many of the good education systems are not affordable,” she explained.
To Asiimwe, the accolades she earned at UCU serve as proof that with God, all things are possible. She attributed her success to the university’s supportive staff, excellent facilities, and its emphasis on character development and professionalism. She said the virtues that have been imparted in her have helped prepare her for the marketplace.
Born and raised in Kampala, Christy has been a high achiever and maintained top grades since primary school. She attended City Parents Primary School, Gayaza High School for O’level, and Shekinah Christian International School.
Peter Mugume, a senior lecturer at the UCU School of Education, said Christy was an intelligent, disciplined and punctual student. Even when it rained, she would still be the first student to arrive in class.
“Christy was informed,” he said. “She would consult, and often wrote excellent assignments.”
Mugume said when Christy competed for elective positions as a student leader, he wanted to discourage her from it, thinking it would affect her performance. But it did not.
She was a student leader in the guild government, a class representative, and in charge of religious affairs in the Honors College. She said she was able to juggle her work by strictly adhering to the timetable she set.
Her secret to academic excellence was by grasping the concepts during lectures, sitting in the front row, and making detailed notes during lectures.
“I was engaged in so many activities, but I made sure I attended all my lectures so that I could get first-hand information from the lecturer,” Christy said.
Soon after her final exams in September 2024, Asiimwe was employed at Acorns International School, where she had her internship from January to April 2024.
Christy’s father owns Shekinah International School. Ordinarily, one would expect her to work at that school after university. But that has not been the case.
“I wanted a different environment, to work under people I am unfamiliar with and to learn to absorb pressure from people who cannot easily favor me,” she said. “That way, I would be better prepared for the world of work, which is not always a bed of roses.”
At the October 25 UCU graduation, Christy was separately awarded as best female student. Dismas Nuwaine was the best male student, having garnered a GPA of 4.79 out of 5.0; he received a Bachelor of Journalism, Media and Communication.
