By Michael Ainomugisha
She had heard whispers about her possible academic success in. She had also witnessed her lecturers describe her as a top performer. Despite all this, Dawn Acen said she could only believe what she was being told after seeing the proof.
And she got that proof on July 2 at the commissioning service held at the main campus of Uganda Christian University in Mukono, a day before the graduation. Acen was announced as the best student at the 26th graduation ceremony of UCU, garnering a remarkable Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.91 out of 5.0.
“Even when I knew what I had scored, I kept thinking there could be someone with a higher mark,” Acen said. “When the announcement finally came, I was pleasantly surprised.”
On July 3, 2026, Acen earned a Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management, capping many years of self-determination rather than public recognition.
Unlike many outstanding students whose stories begin with tales of academic brilliance, Acen’s journey started differently. She attended Greenhill Primary School before joining Mt St Mary’s College Namagunga for O’level and Taibah International School for A’level. While she enjoyed learning, she was not always the student everyone expected to top the class.
“In primary school, I was just an average learner,” Acen says. “It was during my A’level, while in a highly competitive environment that I decided to become intentional about my academics.”
Born a twin, Acen is the sixth of seven children. She credits her parents for encouraging her to pursue her goals and her identical twin sister for being a source of strength throughout her journey.
Dawn Acen holds her award after graduating as the overall best student at Uganda Christian University on July 3, 2026. She earned a remarkable 4.91 GPA, the highest among the graduating class
Whenever university life became overwhelming, it was her twin sister who helped her regain perspective.
She says her journey to UCU started even before she received admission.
An older sibling had studied at the university, and frequent visits to the main campus left a lasting impression.
“I loved how organized everything was. I applied to UCU because I already knew it was where I wanted to study,” Acen says.
By enrolling for a Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management, she believed the program would offer opportunities in both the corporate world and entrepreneurship.
In her first year, Acen had few friends. Instead of feeling isolated, she naturally filled much of her free time with reading. Good grades followed, not because she was chasing a title, but because she consistently invested time in understanding her coursework.
By her second year, the weight of the coursework they were assigned had become too heavy; the test scores dropped and self-doubt crept in.
“I scored marks that didn’t seem to match the effort I was putting in. I started wondering whether I would ever reach the targets I had set for myself,” Acen recalls.
The friendships she built at UCU, she says, became some of the defining moments of her university experience. Study groups became places of encouragement; friends constantly checked on one another, exchanged revision materials, and reminded each other to stay focused.
“They kept asking, ‘Have you revised? Have you gone through this topic?’ Those conversations kept all of us going,” she says.
Outside the lecture rooms, another unexpected lesson awaited her.
For someone who had spent most of her life surrounded by books, running became an unlikely companion.
Introduced to the sport by one of her friends, it offered something she had rarely given herself: space to breathe.
“It helped me step away from books for a while and refresh my mind,” she says.
Her lecturers also played an important role. She singles out Pascal Muloosi and Anthony Owembabazi for constantly challenging her to stretch beyond what she believed was her limit.
When graduation finally arrived, the excitement extended far beyond campus; her family struggled to believe the news at first.
“Everyone was shocked. Even after graduation, people kept asking, ‘How did you do it?’” Acen says.
“It reminds me that if I commit myself to something and remain focused, I can achieve more than I imagine,” Acen reflects.
Now preparing to begin her professional journey, she hopes to contribute to greater understanding of procurement and logistics while growing into leadership roles.
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