Standout Candidate: Here’s Why

I vividly recall the first time I realized I loved coding. I was 14 and had just finished my West

African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE) exam. My parents felt I was too young to begin my

tertiary education and instead enrolled me in a skill acquisition program. In my free time, I began

learning the basics of HTML5, CSS and BootStrap, and realized that I enjoyed writing down

code and seeing that code become something else on a web page. This new found love led me to

pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Crescent University, Abeokuta.

As part of the mandated Industrial training required by all undergraduate computer science

students, I interned as a Junior Front-end developer at Global Accelerex Limited, an organization

that provided electronic payment and financial technology solutions. The training program was

challenging and intriguing, and was a good opportunity to improve my coding and interpersonal

skills. In 2022, I graduated from Crescent University with a Bachelor’s Honors Degree and a

GPA of 4.77/5.0. I was the best in the computer science department and the overall best in the

College of Information and Communication Technology.

After completing my Bachelor’s degree, I proceeded to work as a Junior Front-end developer at

Paytec Systems Ltd, an integrated payment and commerce company, as part of the National

Youth Service Program mandated for all Nigerian graduates. I am a technology enthusiast and I

am inspired by the fact that computer science has become a fundamental element in the

development of a better, smarter future for our world, and my goal is to be part of that

development process.

Ummi Salma Ahmed-Sumaila