Young, Gifted & Black Series
By Taki S. Raton
Jomiloju Tunde-Oladipo
Are we seeing the next Bill Gates or personal computer entrepreneur, marketer, inventor and Apple CEO, Steve Jobs? He is young, gifted and Black.
Jomiloju Tunde-Oladipo has emerged on the global stage as Nigeria’s youngest Microsoft certified professional, being among the youngest to earn the Microsoft Certified Professional Certificate.
Jomiloju now joins the league of the youngest certified professionals in the world to include Nigeria’s 10 year-old Anjolaoluwa Seyi-Ojo; an 8 year-old Indian, Lavishnashree, and two Pakistanis, Arfa and Thobani.
The 9 year-old student at Role Model School in Oregun, Lagos broke the existing record set in 2012 by Anjolaoluwa who was then considered as one of the youngest people in the world to have become a Microsoft certified professional.
According to an October 11, 2013 posting of Brimtime.com, Microsoft Certified Professional is a certification program provided by the Microsoft Corporation.
The certification is tailored towards building skills in Microsoft business solutions focusing on client-end operating systems such as Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
Jomiloju clearly outdistanced 21 pupils who also sat for the test this past July while then in the 5th grade as noted in the October 15, 2013 Atlanta Black Star.
The now sixth grader scored 769 out of 1,000, 69 points higher than the required 700 to be recognized as a Microsoft Office Specialist.
But this was not his first attempt at this examination. Writes Liane Membis in an October 17, 2013 Clutch posting, Jomiloju took the test in his fifth year at Role Model School after receiving intensive training and passing all the preparatory stages.
“It was not all that easy, because I had attempted the examination last year.
I did not make it then. But I remained focused and I put in a lot of hard work,” he says.
The tech whiz adds in the Brimtime article that, “At home and in school, I am always on the computer. After school hours, if I am not doing anything, I will go to my Information Communication Technology teacher to learn more.”
Reflecting upon this experience, Jomiloju recalls that, “I answered 20 questions.
After answering a question, the computer takes you to another one.
And at times, there will be an instruction to skip the next question. But the program still directs one to come back to those questions that one had earlier skipped.”
He admits that he was “really afraid” due to this earlier experience with the test, but he was very optimistic of having success on this next try because, in his words, “he has prepared well.”
This talented Nigerian received his training while at the Role Model School from United Global Resources Ltd., an accredited ICT training firm.
Global Resources manager Odion Oyakhire shares in the Atlanta writing that the certification examination is an online, real-time test and that his firm “encourages pupils to learn ICT and get certified.”
He further reveals that his firm coordinates certification examinations for several schools and “was proud to be associated with Jomiloju and Role Model School in this feat.”
Writes Samuel Awoyinfa in an October 11 PUNCH posing, Jomiloju gives “kudos” to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tunde-Ladipo for their support and for raising him with the “can-do” spirit in achieving success.
“My mom and dad were very supportive,” says Jomiloju.
“They always tell me never to give up and it eventually paid off.”
He adds that they had brought him the latest Dell laptop.
“I am always fascinated about the computer, the way it works, the process, and the way it organizes data.”
Described by his parents as a gifted child, Jomiloju has always been in love with gadgets. Says his mom, “He was never interested in toys.
He would pick up the remote controls for both the TV and air-conditioner and he would correctly use them for their specific functions.”
His father adds that, “It is not that we are unnecessarily indulging him, but he is such a brilliant child. He’s multi-talented.
He plays the saxophone, he’s good on the keyboard, he acts very well and he’s a great swimmer. And each term, he participates in the school drama club. He also gets prizes in other subjects apart from ICT.”
Prior to setting this new record in Nigeria on his certification exam, Jomiloju led his school again to glory and recognition in June 2013 when they won a United Global Resource ICT quiz competing with 15 participating schools in Lagos.
School administrator, Mrs. Adesimbo Banjo speaks glowingly about her prize student saying that his accomplishments “is an inspiration for other pupils.”
Role Model School ICT teacher Mathew Alo says of Jomiloju that, “He was taught all the necessary things he needed to know and he came out as the most outstanding among 20 others from different schools in Lagos.”
Mrs. Elizabeth Ogunrinola, his class teacher, says of her pupil that he, “takes his studies seriously. He is not only good in ICT, but in other subjects.
He is hard working and well behaved.”
As for our now world class young Microsoft certified professional, Awoyinfa writes that, “he’s not resting on his oars yet,” looking to seek more Microsoft certifications.
Visions Jomiloju, “I still want to sit for more examinations. I am still looking to do excel and power points.”