By Kefa Senoga
Reaching the top among 1,159 students at Uganda Christian University (UCU) was no walk in the park for Sarah Nsereko. With a Grade-Point Average of 4.72 out of 5.0, she received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and beat other students’ academic standing at the July graduation.
While other students were relaxing or engaged in extracurricular activities beyond classes, she was reading – often for long hours into the night.
“There was a lot of sacrifice,” Nsereko said during an interview with Uganda Partners. “There is nothing that comes out of being in the comfort zone; you have to put in the hours.” On weekends, it would not be a surprise to find her in the library.
Finding energy was sometimes a struggle.
“I always got the feeling that people were out there enjoying themselves as I was drained in books,” Nsereko says.
For her effort, she excelled. The university gave her an award on graduation day. That achievement, Nsereko says, will inspire her siblings to do well at school. Nsereko is the first born of three children.
In addition to her own efforts, Nsereko largely attributes her success to the friends she had at the university.
“I kept the company of people who were working and many of them had industry knowledge, which they usually shared with me,” she says.
She names her classmate, Charles Muganga, as her mentor, saying he was always available to offer advice on any academic matter. Two months ago, Muganga led the best pitching team at a national hackathon in Uganda.
“Things became increasingly difficult each semester at school, but Nsereko persisted and kept pushing forward,” Muganga said. “She spent sleepless nights, sought additional consultations, but above all, she also kept on encouraging us.”
Nsereko also attributes her success to the Robotics Club, where she says she received academic guidance, especially on the practical aspects of the course.
Thanks to her parents — Mr. and Mrs. Hilda Nsereko — Nsereko says her tuition was always paid on time. To pay back her parents’ hard work, she studied hardl.
According to Mr. Nsereko, his daughter has had a positive impact by setting a good example for her younger siblings to emulate. He adds that the knowledge Nsereko has gained will be useful to the family, as well as the community.
He said his daughter, who he describes as God-fearing, always seeks clarity on anything not clear to her, in addition to seeking new knowledge.
Now that Nsereko has completed her bachelor’s degree, she is focusing on finding employment. But that will only be after she completes her current internship at Stanbic Bank, where she says she is gaining valuable experience.
“I hope to use my knowledge mostly to automate tasks because that’s what I specialised in,” she says.
Nsereko completed her primary education at Kampala Junior Academy and her secondary education at Nabisunsa Girls School. Both schools are in Kampala.
