• Meet Ohafia Born Mercy Olugu That Made Nigerians Proud As She Emerges Best Student In Sports And Academics In Canada
• She is the daughter of Dr. Olugu & Pastor Mrs. Esther Olugu Ukpai
A Nigerian girl identified as Mercy Ugonma Olugu, a native of Ohafia, Abia State, South-East, Nigeria, has made Nigerians proud as she emerged the overall best student in a reputable institution in Canada
Mercy Ugonma Olugu, 2020/2021 academic session, Citadel High, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was awarded the prize for best student in academics and sports.
THE WHISPERER learnt that her outstanding performance as overall best student in sports and academics has attracted both local and international scholarships.
Mercy is the daughter of popular humanitarian and CEO of Challenge Malaria and Aids in Africa (CHAMA), Dr. Olugu Ukpai.
Recall that her brother, Eugene Olugu in 2020, emerged the overall best graduating student in Canada and won numerous academic and leadership awards.
Look at what she said then:
BACKGROUND AND ACADEMICS
My name is Mercy Ugonma (The Eagle) Olugu. I came from the city of Ohafia in South Eastern of Nigeria. I attend Citadel High School and I’m in grade 12. I love my academics and it comes first in everything I do. l am an honour student. I have a 97% average.
SPORTS
I love sports, and in 2018, I held the record as the best in the Atlantic Region for the vertical jump, jumping 73.7cm. And also broke the record with 10m and 30m sprint times. I was adjudged “the top female performer at the RBC Training Ground talent scout in 2018. I was a w day short of my 14th birthday when I broke the Atlantic region record. I hold a total of 46 medals and awards from sports and academics combined.
MY PASSION
My passion is to become a medical doctor, specializing in paediatrics. I want to find out why malaria killed my twin sister and continues to kill children every 30 seconds. Her name was Goodness. I was told by my parents that she died at 16 months to malaria unnecessarily.
MY GOALS
My goal long term goal is to become famous in sports, using sports to create awareness about malaria while using my medical knowledge to put a stop to this poverty disease, and needless deaths called malaria.
WHAT DRIVES ME: MOTIVATION
So my life is driven by pain, even when I don’t feel the urge to keep going, my pain is what keeps me going.
I LOVE MY CULTURE
I love playing African drumming. I come from a family of 5 who has a ve for African drumming. I relax with African drumming and play along with my family. I drum with a purpose: To drum up support, to drum up hope and to drum up smiles for the children who are dying of malaria needlessly. We cannot forget the children we left behind. These children are not dying of the disease, they are dying of poverty and neglect. One life lost to malaria is one too many.
THANKS TO MY PARENTS
I come from a wonderful Christian family. My parents and faith in God keep me going and I will eternally remain grateful for my family for always drumming up support for me; especially my Dad who keeps yelling when we are playing African drum: He will yell: “ We are taking you on a one-way flight ticket to Africa” – That’s my Dad for you.
MY DAD’S YELLING KEEPS TURNS ME ON
That yelling turns me on. That keeps me focused. That reminds me that I have African blood. That helps me to remember where I come from with a lot of needs to attend to.
Canada is beautiful and I love Canada so much. It’s a land of opportunity but you would have work your way up because nobody can take you there except yourself.
But my Dad’s yelling helps me to remember where I come because when a man forgets where he comes from, God will take him back there”.
MORAL LESSON MY DAD TAUGHT ME FROM PLAYING THE AFRICAN DRUM
When I pound the drum, it pains. My Dad would always remind me that everything in life is is painful. Now after 11 years of playin the drum, I can pound the drum non-stop for hours without feeling any pain. Dad was right. Pain cannot stop me except me.
DON’T WASTE YOUR PAIN
I have learnt through the drumming that no pain is permanent. Losing my twin sister is painful but that has inspired me to go for my best. Never waste your pain because God has a purpose for your pain.
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