IPNET Internal Competition: 3rd Place as a Freshman
The only first-year student in the top 5, competing against the entire school.
The competition
Every year, IPNET holds an internal competition open to all students, day and evening classes, across all years. The goal is to test how well students understand what the school stands for: its values, its mission, what it’s trying to build.
Not a technical challenge. A culture test.
Every year level competes in the same bracket.
At a glance
| Detail | Result |
|---|---|
| Institution | IPNET Institute of Technology |
| Eligibility | Day and evening students, across every year level |
| Focus | Knowledge of the institution, its values and its mission |
| My level | First year |
| Final position | 3rd overall |
The common bracket mattered. I was answering the same questions as students who had already spent two or three years at IPNET, not competing in a separate first-year category.
The result
I finished 3rd place, out of the entire student body.
I was in my first year. The other four people in the top 5 were all upperclassmen, students who had been at IPNET for two or three years. I was the only freshman.
That was enough to get noticed. It also told me something: I didn’t need to spend years building up before I could compete at that level.
The competition was not technical. Still, it forced me to understand the school beyond the courses and to explain its purpose under pressure. I would use both skills again when I started leading student activities.
Why it mattered
Finishing top 5 that early gave me visibility within the institution from day one. People at the school knew who I was before my first year was over, which made it easier to build the club, organize events, and get backing for what came later.
What followed
Looking back, this was the first visible step in my time at IPNET:
- In 2023, my team won 1st Prize in Networks, Systems & Cybersecurity at JPOPE.
- I founded the IPNET CYBER CLUB, building a structured training program for students from L1 to M2.
- In 2025, I led the organization of the IPNET CYBER BATTLE, the first university-organized CTF in Togo.
The result gave me enough credibility inside the school to start taking on larger projects. The club and the Cyber Battle came later.