A Nigerian from Owo in Ondo State, Mr. Praise Lasekan has been honoured with an Award of Excellence by the authorities of University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the United States of America.

This was at the 2025 Graduation Ceremony of the University after which Praise Lasekan finished with CGPA 4.0 over 4.0.

Lasekan who is the 2025 Valedictorian is a Biological Science major with the minor in Chemistry and has been an active researcher with reputations in prominent laboratories.

Delivering his speech at the ceremony, Lasekan called for an audacious community of retrieval dreamers and visionaries who are ready to make the mark in the world.

While charging his fellow graduands to see the success recorded as just a check point and not a finish line, he emphasized that it has become a time to set into a world full of uncertainty both socially, scientifically and spiritually.

In his words, the world is desperate for people who can see far. Dreamers with compassion and the readiness to lead with humility.

“So, I encourage the graduating class and everyone sitting here today. Dream not because life is perfect as your presence in this world is not an accident. Dream so that someone coming behind you needs to know that it is still possible”, Lasekan stressed.

The 2025 UMBC Valedictorian urged the graduands and the younger generations globally to see the excellence achieved at the university as an opportunity to launch into greater heights and possibilities.

“If you are proud of how far you have gone, I celebrate with you but I encourage you to dream again, celebrate the wins but don’t stop there as this is not the finish line”.

“If setbacks slow you down, dream again. Look beyond what you see as your story is not defined by a chapter. There is still time to grow and build the life you have imagined”.

“For me personally, dream again means that after I was rejected three times from Universities in Nigeria and after watching my classmates, siblings and friends progressing in life, I have to come to UMBC and make the moves of my time here”.

“I remembered at a time in Nigeria, I pulled my Dad aside and asked. Dad, am I not smart enough? Have I not tried enough? The person you see standing before you was once called a failure. People made fun of me. But mentors, Grace of God reminded me that dreams don’t die”.

He appreciated his parents, mentors, family members and officials of the university who stood by him during his academic journey.