Chapter 1: Where It All Began

I am really glad I can share my story. Even though I haven't gotten to where I want to be yet, I know surely I will get there. I am writing this not because I have arrived, but because I am still on the journey. And maybe, just maybe, my story will help another girl who feels stuck. I come from a background where education was not the norm. My family is not rich. We are not poor either we are somewhere in between, the kind of family that struggles to make ends meet but still makes sure the children are okay. My parents worked hard. They sacrificed. They made sure we had food on the table and clothes on our backs. But money was never plenty. It was always tight. Always calculated. Always prayed for. And I saw that. I saw my parents struggle. I saw the way they worried about money. I saw the way they tried to hide it from us, but children see everything. I saw it all. I am 17 years old now, but even as a child, I was determined. I made up my mind very early that where my family could not reach, I would reach. Where my generation was stuck, I would break free. I decided that I would be the one to change the story. The environment I come from has a certain mentality about marriage. Girls are expected to marry early. They are told that marriage is the goal. But I would look at them and think, "How much do you even have in your account that you want to get married?" I am not against marriage. I want to marry one day. But I believe that as a woman, if you don't have your own money, you should not even think about marriage. I have seen too much. I have learned too much. Your education, your career, your independence.. those are the things you should hold onto first. Everything else can come after. When I was a child, I was bullied. I was body-shamed. I was insulted. I was mocked for the food I brought to school. I was mocked for my body. I was mocked for things I could not control. It hurt. It still hurts sometimes when I think about it. But you know what? It did not stop me. It did not break me. It only made me more determined. I kept pushing because I knew the sky was bigger than that. I knew there was more for me than the words of cruel children. I have been determined since I was young. I saw my parents struggling, and I wanted to help. I wanted to do something. So I started looking for ways to make money. I was 14 when I made my first income. It was from affiliate marketing. I didn't even fully understand what I was doing, but I tried. I learned. I earned. It was small, but it was mine. Since then, I have tried so many remote jobs. I have applied for opportunities. I have learned skills. I have failed. I have tried again. I am not where I want to be yet. But I am not where I used to be. And that is the point. I am a student now at the University of Lagos. Getting there was not easy. It took hard work. It took late nights. It took tears. I wrote my WAEC and JAMB at 15. I got admission at 16. It was a miracle. It was a testimony. My parents were so proud. My father,put my matriculation photo as his WhatsApp profile picture and never changed it for months. That photo was his way of saying, "My daughter did it." I am studying Taxation. I am building a career. I am becoming someone. But this is just the beginning of my story.