Meet Miriam Omede, the 20-year-old lady who broke school’s record as the first-ever student to earn Law degree with first class

She recalled that her first year at the university was very challenging. “I had just turned 16 when I resumed,” she explained.

“The first year is usually challenging for many people, and it was for me too. I made some mistakes, but I also made good decisions. With God’s mercy, I finished strong,” Miriam added.

One major lesson she learned early was the importance of choosing the right friends. “In my first year, I thought everyone was my friend. But I later realised that you must choose friends who share your vision and direction,” she recalled.

By her third year, she began to see the possibility of graduating with a First-Class degree. From that point on, she became even more intentional and disciplined in her studies.

Miriam credits her success to consistency. “One of the biggest challenges in law is the volume of knowledge you must assimilate,” she said. “My strategy was simple: do the little things daily and let them accumulate.”

To stay ahead, she made notes during holidays, rewrote class notes, consulted multiple textbooks, discussed difficult topics with classmates, and ensured that every day contributed to her academic growth.

“I never let a day pass without doing something for my academics, reading, writing notes, explaining something to someone, or learning something new,” she said.

By the time exams came, she was simply revising what she had already mastered. Although she was the youngest in her class, Miriam never allowed her age to limit her confidence.

“Growing up, I was always the youngest in my class. People don’t usually realise how young I am when I speak,” she said.

Even after her classmates discovered her age, she continued to receive mutual respect. Instead of feeling intimidated, she saw her youth as an advantage. “I used my age as motivation to achieve more,” she stated.

While excelling academically, Miriam also wore many hats. She served in several leadership roles, including Chief Judge of her faculty high court, Student Head, PAAU Law Clinic, Academic Director, CLASFON & Hilltop Assembly, Chairperson, FIDA PAAU Chapter

She was also the Deputy Program Coordinator, Activista Nigeria, Publicity Secretary, KSU Prays, Campus Reporter, and U-Monitor with CJID. Also, she built her own cake brand from scratch while studying.

In addition, she represented her university in national competitions, including the National Client Interview and Counseling Competition by NULAI, where she emerged as 1st Runner-up, Olu Asekun National Moot Competition as the Quarter-finalist.

Also, Miriam emerged top 6 at the Young Historian Competition, the Campus Journalism Awards as the 1st runner up, and LEAP Africa Debate.

Despite balancing leadership, entrepreneurship, competitions, and academics, she still graduated with a first class honors.

“I’m proud to say I am the first-ever First-Class graduate from the Faculty of Law at Prince Abubakar Audu University since its inception. The Head of Department confirmed that the faculty had never produced a First-Class student until now,” she said. 

However, Miriam stated that her success was not accidental but a result of her hardwork and focus.

“This was carefully built from scratch, through years of grace, sacrifice, and determination. This is not the end, it’s just the beginning of a beautiful story that will inspire many young people,” she said.

Looking ahead, Miriam is now proceeding to the Nigerian Law School. After completing her training, she hopes to work with top-tier law firms, large corporations, or international organizations focused on human rights,  especially women’s rights advocacy.

“My focus now is law school, human rights, and legal practice,” she said.