Tanzania girl who topped Makerere 
Education Written by Simon Musasizi Sunday, 14 February 2010 16:08
Josephine Seruhere
The 60th graduation at Makerere University was another milestone for Ugandas oldest university. Out of the 13,766 graduands presented for award of degrees and diplomas in various disciplines, 6,936 (50.4%) were female, while 6,830 (49.6%) were male.
But more importantly, out of the best three students, two were female students, including the best overall student.
Glory Josephine Seruhere was one of the top brains. The Tanzanian student came third with 4.83 CGPA, just 0.05 points below the overall winner, Emmerentiana Mbabazi, who got 4.88. The highest possible CGPA is five points.
The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Skills and French student had already left the universitys Freedom Square when her name was called out for recognition.
When I came for graduation, I just knew I had a first class degree and that was it. I never knew I was one of the best three students, Seruhere told Observer School. Getting a first class at Makerere, she admitted, was hard work. From the time Seruhere joined Makerere in 2006, her lowest CGPA was 4.58 and she only worked to improve on it.
I always wanted to graduate with a first class and my colleagues always teased me that I was overambitious, Seruhere said.
There are times when I worked so hard and the results were not that good. I would feel a little bit insecure but work even harder. My policy was that if I did my best to get 98%, why would I do mediocre work in another coursework? she said.
She added: I had a good relationship with my lecturers. If the coursework was complicated, I wouldnt hesitate to consult them. I also interacted with my colleagues. I was friendly to everyone. I enjoyed discussions because it is through discussions that you reaffirm what you know.
Josephine is daughter to Justin Seruhere who once worked with the Tanzanian High Commission in Uganda, and Tavita Seruhere, a nurse in Dar-es-Salaam who also once worked in Uganda.
My parents paid my tuition in time. This gave me peace of mind. I used to see my colleagues hustle around the last hour, she noted.
The last of two children, Seruhere went to McKinnon Road Nursery School, Nakasero Primary, Namugongo Girls Primary, Kabojja SS and St. Noa Girls Zana where she wrote her O-level exams, scoring 10 points in eight subjects.
She then joined Gayaza High School where she did PEM/A but surprisingly performed poorly, scoring only 10 points.
It is not that I wasnt working hard. I had a lot of issues going on back home, Seruhere said. Around that time, her parents had filed for divorce, something that destabilised her.
With the poor performance, it was now impossible for Seruhere who loved sciences so much to pursue her favourite course in Telecom Engineering.
She instead opted for Arts but even when she was admitted, she didnt do it wholeheartedly.
It was a totally different world. I wasnt even sure where it would lead me, she said. She had been offered three subjects; Organisational Studies, Philosophy and Literature in English.
I looked at the three and couldnt see where [they] would lead me.
She applied for a change of subjects to major in Communication Skills and French. Seruhere now plans to go for a postgraduate in International Relations at the Centre for Foreign Relations in Dar-es-Salaam. Her ambition is to work with the Foreign Affairs ministry.
Source: http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7208&Itemid=106
Education Written by Simon Musasizi Sunday, 14 February 2010 16:08 
The 60th graduation at Makerere University was another milestone for Ugandas oldest university. Out of the 13,766 graduands presented for award of degrees and diplomas in various disciplines, 6,936 (50.4%) were female, while 6,830 (49.6%) were male.
But more importantly, out of the best three students, two were female students, including the best overall student.
Glory Josephine Seruhere was one of the top brains. The Tanzanian student came third with 4.83 CGPA, just 0.05 points below the overall winner, Emmerentiana Mbabazi, who got 4.88. The highest possible CGPA is five points.
The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Skills and French student had already left the universitys Freedom Square when her name was called out for recognition.
When I came for graduation, I just knew I had a first class degree and that was it. I never knew I was one of the best three students, Seruhere told Observer School. Getting a first class at Makerere, she admitted, was hard work. From the time Seruhere joined Makerere in 2006, her lowest CGPA was 4.58 and she only worked to improve on it.
I always wanted to graduate with a first class and my colleagues always teased me that I was overambitious, Seruhere said.
There are times when I worked so hard and the results were not that good. I would feel a little bit insecure but work even harder. My policy was that if I did my best to get 98%, why would I do mediocre work in another coursework? she said.
She added: I had a good relationship with my lecturers. If the coursework was complicated, I wouldnt hesitate to consult them. I also interacted with my colleagues. I was friendly to everyone. I enjoyed discussions because it is through discussions that you reaffirm what you know.
Josephine is daughter to Justin Seruhere who once worked with the Tanzanian High Commission in Uganda, and Tavita Seruhere, a nurse in Dar-es-Salaam who also once worked in Uganda.
My parents paid my tuition in time. This gave me peace of mind. I used to see my colleagues hustle around the last hour, she noted.
The last of two children, Seruhere went to McKinnon Road Nursery School, Nakasero Primary, Namugongo Girls Primary, Kabojja SS and St. Noa Girls Zana where she wrote her O-level exams, scoring 10 points in eight subjects.
She then joined Gayaza High School where she did PEM/A but surprisingly performed poorly, scoring only 10 points.
It is not that I wasnt working hard. I had a lot of issues going on back home, Seruhere said. Around that time, her parents had filed for divorce, something that destabilised her.
With the poor performance, it was now impossible for Seruhere who loved sciences so much to pursue her favourite course in Telecom Engineering.
She instead opted for Arts but even when she was admitted, she didnt do it wholeheartedly.
It was a totally different world. I wasnt even sure where it would lead me, she said. She had been offered three subjects; Organisational Studies, Philosophy and Literature in English.
I looked at the three and couldnt see where [they] would lead me.
She applied for a change of subjects to major in Communication Skills and French. Seruhere now plans to go for a postgraduate in International Relations at the Centre for Foreign Relations in Dar-es-Salaam. Her ambition is to work with the Foreign Affairs ministry.
Source: http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7208&Itemid=106
