Mum Proud as Her 10-Year-Old Daughter Becomes AU Mathematics Ambassador, Bags Scholarship
- Motunrayo Sholabomi, a Nigerian mother, shared on LinkedIn how her daughter earned the title of African Union (AU) Mathematics Ambassador alongside a scholarship
- The brilliant 10-year-old girl credited her mother during her interview, saying her mum taught her how to read at night
- Sholabomi revealed she often woke up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. to study, not knowing her young daughter was silently watching and following her example
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Motunrayo Sholabomi, a Nigerian mother, has sent hearts on the internet racing after revealing that her 10-year-old daughter, Anjola, was named AU's Mathematics Ambassador for Africa and received a scholarship to match.
Sholabomi shared the news on 3 September 2026, displaying her daughter's award of excellence and describing the moment as one that moved her deeply, coming on the heels of her own achievement of winning four scholarships.
Source: UGC
What stood out most, however, was not the accolade itself but what her daughter said during her interview.
What the 10-year-old said that touched her mother
According to Sholabomi, her daughter told the interviewers: "My mom taught me how to read at night."
The statement carried unexpected weight. Sholabomi explained that for a long time, she had been rising as early as 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. to read, study, or work on personal projects.
She assumed those quiet hours were hers alone. It turned out her daughter had been observing all along, and at some point, began doing the same.
Reflecting on this, Sholabomi wrote about a truth she believes many parents overlook: that children absorb far more from what they witness than from what they are told.
A parent can instruct a child to study hard or stress the value of education, but watching a mother rise before dawn to build herself leaves a different kind of impression altogether.
"My daughter is watching me become the woman I want her to become," she wrote on LinkedIn, adding that seeing her child step into her own potential made her even prouder than her four scholarships combined.
She closed her post with an encouragement directed at mothers who are working on themselves while raising children at the same time, urging them to keep going and reminding them that their children are always watching.
Reactions to the mother-daughter story
The post drew a wave of responses from people who found meaning in the story.
@Onjefu Joseph said:
"This is more than a scholarship story—it's a powerful lesson about the influence of example. Children may not always respond to what we say, but they often remember what they consistently see us do. Congratulations to you and your daughter! Your dedication is clearly creating a legacy that goes beyond your own achievements. 👏❤️"
@Treasure Uchenna said:
"Huge congratulations to you both!! 🎉🎉 I remember when my mum was preparing for her NCLEX exam. My respect for her went up by a million. She studied so much I even started to pity her because to me it was torturous. She passed though and all the labour wasn't in vain. That experience made me, during a 9 month program, sit my [expletive] down and study. Ain't no way I wasn't going to match up with her."
@Fiona Amony said:
"Wow! We can never truly tell what our children quietly observe, absorb, and copy from us. 🙂 It's such a powerful reminder that, as parents, we are constantly teaching our children, not only through what we say, but even more through what we do. May we always strive to be the example we want our children to follow and give them the right things to copy from us. ❤️"
@Gabriel Nmadu said:
"Congratulations to both of you. Truly children learn more by observing us. My son is always recreating the things I do. This calls on us to be careful about our actions and being deliberate about whatever we wish to pass on to them."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian girl who won 100% in a National Mathematics Competition had bagged a scholarship worth N21 million.
Nigerian teen wins Global Mathematics Competition
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian teen had defeated representatives from top countries to win a Global Mathematics Competition.
The teenager named Faith reportedly clinched first place in the prestigious international contest, outperforming participants from the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Europe, Asia, and other regions.
Faith is the daughter of a doctor and a businesswoman. She has credited her father’s early encouragement for sparking her passion for mathematics.
Source: Legit.ng
