That’s the Dority International Early Learning School motto.
It’s a motto that sticks to the mind of every student who graduates from Dority.
But is it easy to rise to the highest?
No, it’s not.
Sursum ad Summum is a motto that is hard to live up to.
It’s hard to be one of the best in your profession.
It’s hard to stand out from the crowd.
Urenna Onyewuchi, a Dority alumna of the 2001 Class, has lived up to the Dority motto.
After graduating from Dority, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree (B.Sc) in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University (2005), a Master of Science degree (M.Sc) in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (2008) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (2012).
Urenna Onyewuchi giving the commencement speech at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012
Since her time as Deputy Senior Prefect at Dority, Urenna has been a leader and a role model.
She organized the first major alumni reunion and created Empower D.I.S.S, a mentorship program for Dority students.
She has inspired many young black women to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses at higher institutions.
Urenna has worked as:
Lead Switch and Ancillary Engineer for Orbital Sciences Corporation
CAD Designer and Electrical Engineer for Phillips Engineering Group
Data Analyst for WesternGeco and Schlumberger
And she’s currently:
Power Africa Initiative Leader, IEEE PES (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – Power and Engineering Society)
Division Energy Manager and Senior Electrical Engineer for Corning Incorporated
For her enthusiastic and selfless contributions to D.I.S.S Alumni, her profession and society in general, Urenna Onyewuchi is our February Alumna of the Month.
Correction: This article previously referred to Urenna Onyewuchi as Alumnus of the Month. Alumnus is a Latin word meaning a male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university. Alumna is also a Latin word, meaning a female graduate or former student of a school, college, or university. The correct term for a female member of Dority International Alumni Association is alumna.
Dority International Early Learning School, Aba has been a symbol of excellence for twenty-two years.
Since 1997, the school has won awards in different academic competitions.
The awards and achievements listed below prove that Dority is an incubator of brilliant minds.
1.Winner of JETS/STAN science competition (1997, 1998 and 2000).
2. Represented Nigeria at international science fairs in Kentucky, USA (1997), Texas, USA (1998) and Hanover, Germany (2000).
3.Winner of the Cowbell Mathematics competition in Abia State (2001).
4. Won a bronze medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad in South Africa (2001).
5. Represented Nigeria in International Junior Science Olympiad in Indonesia (2004).
6. Represented Nigeria in International Biology Olympiad in China (2005).
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State presenting scholarship cheques to two students of Dority in 2018
7. Represented Nigeria in International Physics Olympiad in India (2005).
8. Winner, African Leadership Academy scholarship (2006).
9. Winner, Petroleum Technology Development Fund quiz competition (2010).
10. Winner, Augustus Bandele Oyediran trophy for best aggregate WAEC result in the whole of West Africa (2010).
11. Won second prize at the U.B.A National Essay Writing competition (2011).
12. Won first prize at the Ecobank National Essay Writing competition (2012).
13. Represented Nigeria at the International Mathematics and Science Olympiad in USA, Singapore and Argentina (2012).
Nora Chukwunwike of Dority with Prof. Wole Soyinka and other winners of the Wole Soyinka Essay Competition in 2013
14. Represented Nigeria at the International Mathematics and Science Olympiad in Colombia, Russia and Switzerland (2013).
15. Won first prize at the Nigerian Postal Service Essay Writing competition (2013).
16. Won third prize at the Wole Soyinka National Essay Writing competition (2013).
17. Abia State and Southeast Champion, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control quiz competition (2014).
18.Winner, Best NECO SSCE Mathematics Award in Abia State (2014).
19. Winner, Best NECO SSCE Biology Award in Abia State (2014).
20. Produced the best National Junior Science Olympiad student in Nigeria for three consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016).
Benjamin Chisom of D.I.S.S (extreme left) with the GMD NNPC, Maikanti Baru and other winners of the NNPC Quiz in 2017
21. Represented Nigeria at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Vietnam (2014).
22. Represented Nigeria at the International Mathematics and Biology Olympiad in Thailand and Denmark (2015).
23. Won first prize in Chemistry at the Presidential Awards quiz competition, Abuja (2017).
24. Won first prize at the Abia State NNPC quiz competition (2017).
25. Won first prize at the Wole Soyinka National Essay Writing competition (2018.)
Ask yourself: What would happen if all the smart people who passed through Dority start working together?
What kind of innovative ideas would they come up with?
What kind of amazing projects would they execute?
Think about it.
Dority International Alumni Association is not just another alumni association. It’s a gathering of the best minds Abia State and Nigeria has produced.
It’s not an association full of boring meetings and talking points. It’s an organization that can change a nation.
In February 2018, Okechukwu Onye, a former student of Dority International Secondary School, formed a WhatsApp group for Dority’s Pioneer Set.
The group comprised thirty-four members of the Dority students who graduated in 1997.
Immediately the WhatsApp group was formed, the members agreed to have a reunion. They also decided to visit their alma mater, Dority International Early Learning School, Aba.
After much debate and compromise, Owerri was chosen as the reunion city, All Seasons Hotel as the venue of the reunion and January 3, 2019, as the date of the reunion.
On October 25, 2018, Okechukwu Onye formally informed Mrs Zovannah Onumah that members of Pioneer Set would visit Dority on January 4, 2019.
Mrs Zovannah Onumah with Okey Onye and Ikenna Ohiaeri on October 25, 2018
The Coordinator of Senior Secondary section, Mr.Rufus Emerenini, was also informed.
Preparations for the reunion and homecoming moved into high gear.
On January 3, 2019, about a dozen members of Pioneer Set assembled at All Seasons Hotel, Owerri to start off the reunion.
It was an emotional meeting of former classmates, some of whom hadn’t seen each other in twenty-one years.
The next day, the pioneers headed to Aba and arrived at Dority around 11.15 a.m.
In her welcome speech, Mrs Zovannah Onumah remarked that she was happy and proud to receive the very first students to graduate from Dority.
Mrs Zovannah Onumah welcoming Pioneer Set to Dority on Jan 4, 2019
After series of speeches from Engineer Emole Kalu Onumah, Mr Rufus Emerenini and three members of Pioneer Set, Okechukwu Onye, Adaku Omidosu (née Onwuzuruike) and Onyebuchi Ochu, gifts and awards were handed out to long-tenured teachers and non-academic staff.
The pioneers then toured Dority International Secondary School before heading back to Owerri to conclude their reunion.
Here are 7 lessons from the Pioneer Set reunion that other sets of Dority graduates can use to organize successful reunions.
1. Start planning for a reunion as soon as the group is formed:
Most ex-Dority students have WhatsApp or Facebook groups. But if your set doesn’t have a social media group, take the initiative and create one.
Immediately the Pioneer Set group was formed, the members started discussing how to have a reunion.
The reunion topic became the driving force of the group, influencing daily conversations and chats.
When a social media group doesn’t have an important event that members can look forward to, the group turns into a dumping ground for junk posts and forwarded messages.
Don’t wait for the perfect time to plan for a reunion, start planning for it immediately.
2. Don’t expect complete cooperation:
It’s impossible to get different people to agree all the time.
Not everyone wants to belong to a social media group of former classmates.
Not everyone likes chatting on WhatsApp and Facebook.
And not everyone wants to reunite with old friends.
We are no longer the teenagers who attended Dority, we are adults who have the right to choose who we want to associate with.
So if some people don’t want to join the group or participate in a reunion, let them be.
But most people are open to the idea of a reunion. The problem, usually, is picking a reunion date and venue that most members will accept.
The best option is to let the majority decide. And to compromise when necessary.
For example, I wanted Aba to be the reunion city of Pioneer Set. Dority was in Aba and most of the members of Pioneer Set had families and relatives in Aba.
Other members thought otherwise and selected Owerri as reunion city.
I went along with the majority decision.
3. Have mini-reunions before the reunion:
A mini-reunion is a social gathering of a few alumni members. Mini-reunions increase anticipation and excitement for the main reunion.
DISS Pioneer Set had several mini-reunions before the January reunion.
There were mini-reunions in Aba, Lagos, Port Harcourt and even the United States.
Pioneer Set Lagos mini-reunion
Port Harcourt mini-reunion
Mini-reunions serve as rehearsals for the reunion and an opportunity for members to reacquaint with each other.
4. Make the group interesting:
Pioneer Set WhatsApp group is really interesting. Members actually chat with each other and don’t just forward junk messages.
Conversation topics in the group range from parenting, sports and politics to fashion, food and religion.
The tone of conversation in the group is humorous yet respectful.
Interesting groups are like magnets, drawing members back each day.
The more interesting your social media group is, the more likely that members would show up for a reunion.
5. Select competent leaders:
Pioneer Set has four leadership positions: Chairperson, Protocol Officer, Treasurer and Secretary.
It’s important for an alumni group to choose selfless leaders who can motivate members.
Okechukwu Onye, Chairperson Pioneer Set
Luckily for members of Pioneer Set, Okechukwu Onye is an inclusive and competent chairperson who knows how to get things done, how to present problems to the members and how to encourage members to solve problems.
Not all the group’s problems have been solved. And not every member appreciates his efforts.
But without his steady leadership, Pioneer Set wouldn’t have had a reunion.
6. Contribute your time, energy and resources:
A group where members mind their business and don’t bother to contribute their time and resources will die a quick death.
One of the reasons for Pioneer Set’s success is the willingness of members to contribute whatever they have, whether it’s time, knowledge, money, or physical strength.
For example, the pioneers initially planned to reward four Dority teachers and staff, including Mrs Zovannah Onumah and Engineer Emole Onumah, with achievement plaques.
But a member, Chizoba Ntuko (née Nwafor), thought it would be great if more teachers were rewarded. So she packaged gifts and travelled with them all the way from Canada to Nigeria.
Music teacher, Mr Patrick Umunna, receiving his gift from Promise Mazie
Another member, Ifeoma Duru, contributed money for extra gifts to teachers.
These two members didn’t wait for the group to make a decision. They took the initiative and made Pioneer Set’s visit to Dority a memorable one for the teachers.
Other members of Pioneer Set contributed in their own way to make the reunion successful:
Chinedu Ndukwe and Akwaugo Amadi paid the breakfast bills of Pioneer Set at All Seasons Hotel.
Onuma Agwu Ibe paid for the group’s lunch at a restaurant in Owerri.
Pioneer Set dining at a restaurant in Owerri
Chinedu Onyeizu, Maryann Achebe (née Modu), Chinelo Ezeocha (née Onyeachu), Kayode Okorie, Chimdi Ifeakanwa, Chidalu Ibeneme (née Nsodum), Theresa Mba (née Ndem), Chinwendu Akintan (née Aguah) and Sandra Aregbesola (née Onumara) contributed money for the reunion even though they didn’t eventually attend.
Chidimma Ndukwe (née Mba) saved the group thousands of naira by finding an affordable supplier of reunion t-shirts.
Onyebuchi Ochu and Adaku Omidosu (née Onwuzuruike) gave excellent speeches to Dority students and staff.
Promise Mazie (née Ndem) did a great job as presenter of gifts.
Uzoma Emmanuel (née Agwu) prepared a fantastic lunch for the reception at Dority.
Adaobi Anyanwu (née Ofoegbu) had a good reason not to attend the reunion. Her wedding anniversary was on the same day with the reunion. But she came anyway, with two of her kids and her sister, Shalonda, a Dority alumna.
Positive contributions like these are important for an alumni association to thrive.
7. Don’t expect a perfect reunion:
Despite the carefully laid plans of the reunion organizing committee, there were setbacks before and during the reunion:
A member of the group, Vitalis Muoma, died of cancer before the reunion could take place. Muoma’s death saddened group members and took some joy out of the reunion.
The Chairperson, Okechukwu Onye, lost his father-in-law a few weeks to the reunion.
The number of students present at the Pioneer Set homecoming was a fraction of Dority’s student population. A full house of students would have benefited from face-to-face interactions with the pioneers.
A pioneer, who was supposed to give a speech on leadership to Dority students, pulled out at the last minute.
Despite these setbacks, the reunion turned out to be an unforgettable experience.
So don’t expect a perfect reunion. Focus on the things your group can control and don’t worry too much about those you can’t control.
If other sets of Dority alumni put these 7 lessons into practice, they would have reunions that would be more successful than that of Pioneer Set.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State presenting scholarship cheques to two students of Dority in 2018
Nora Chukwunwike of Dority with Prof. Wole Soyinka and other winners of the Wole Soyinka Essay Competition in 2013
