The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, has urged exceptional students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to embrace excellence as a lifelong journey anchored on discipline, humility and service to humanity.

According to Adejuyigbe, while delivering the keynote address titled “Excellence is a Journey: Building Character, Inspiring Lives, and Leaving a Legacy” at the Fourth Edition of the Obafemi Awolowo University Academic and Research Excellence Awards, he stressed that academic brilliance alone is insufficient without character and ethical leadership.

The paediatrician and academic administrator, who charged the students tagged OAU STARS, who were recognised for outstanding academic and research accomplishments, stated that true excellence transcends grades, awards, and professional accolades.

While drawing from her personal trajectory from Akoko, Ondo State, to becoming a professor of paediatrics and eventually vice-chancellor of a specialised university, she encouraged the awardees to view their recognition as a milestone rather than the pinnacle of their achievements.

While urging them to remain focused on the continuous process of personal and professional development, she said, “Excellence is built one deliberate decision at a time, one disciplined habit at a time, one difficult challenge at a time, and one act of perseverance after another.

The Vice-Chancellor recounted a pivotal moment from her undergraduate years at OAU, when an early academic setback nearly discouraged her from pursuing her dreams.

However, she revealed that perseverance and encouragement from a former teacher helped her overcome the challenge, and she reminded the students that failure is merely an event, not an identity, urging them never to allow temporary setbacks to define their future trajectories.

She further harped on the importance of integrity in scholarship, recalling how her published research findings on antibiotic resistance in newborn infections initially attracted scepticism from peers but were later validated internationally.

According to Adejuyigbe, researchers and professionals must remain committed to truth and ethical standards even when their findings challenge established opinions or prevailing orthodoxies in their fields.

The UNIMED Vice-Chancellor also advised the awardees to harness criticism as motivation for growth, uphold ethical values in their chosen professions, and strive to make meaningful contributions to society that extend beyond personal advancement.

“The world does not need more successful individuals alone. It needs men and women whose success creates opportunities for others, whose excellence inspires hope, and whose integrity restores faith in our institutions.”

Adejuyigbe reminded the awardees that society requires professionals who combine competence with compassion, humility, and integrity, stressing that the true measure of success is the positive impact one makes on the lives of others rather than the accumulation of personal achievements or material wealth.