Chapter 2: The Girl Who Refused to Stay Small

Getting into the University of Lagos was not just an achievement. It was a testimony. I wrote my WAEC and JAMB at 15. Most people my age were still in secondary school, still trying to figure out what they wanted. But I knew. I had always known. I wanted to go to university. I wanted to study something that would change my life, my family's life, and my future. When the admission came, I was 16. My parents were overjoyed. My father,he put my matriculation photo as his WhatsApp profile picture, and he never changed it. Months passed, and it stayed there. That photo was his way of saying, "My daughter did it. My daughter is in university." He didn't need words. His silence said everything. I started 100 level at 16. I was younger than most of my classmates. But I was ready. I was excited. I was scared. I was everything at once. 100 level was not easy. I struggled. Not because I wasn't smart, but because life was happening all around me. There were days I didn't have enough money. Days I was tired. Days I doubted myself. Days I cried alone. But I kept going. I had to. I remember the pressure. The pressure to make my parents proud. The pressure to prove that I deserved to be there. The pressure to not fail. It was heavy. But I carried it. Because I had no choice. I had a dream, and I was not going to let it die. Along the way, I started building myself. Not just academically, but in every way I could. I found free courses online. I earned certificates. I built my LinkedIn profile from scratch. I posted, I connected, I learned. I created a Fiverr gig. . I kept trying. I joined the NUASA Editorial Committee as a writer in 100 level. I didn't know it then, but that was the beginning of my leadership journey. By 200 level, I was elected Vice Chairman of the same committee. I won with 57.1% of the votes. Do you understand what that means? The people chose me. They believed in me. The shy girl who couldn't hold a mic. The girl who was scared to speak. They chose her to lead. I also became a member of the ANTAS Welfare Committee. I became an Academic Tutor”note this is for my department and NUASA is for accounting department”. Three leadership roles. Three responsibilities. Three chances to serve. And I took all of them. Let me tell you something about me. I am not perfect. I have mood swings. I overthink. I cry easily. I get jealous. I am sensitive. I am still learning to love myself. But I am also determined. I am loyal. I am hardworking. I am a girl who will never give up, no matter what. I have been through body shaming. I have been bullied. I have been mocked for my background, my food, my clothes, my body. I have been made to feel small. But I refused to stay small. I refused to let their words define me. I refused to let my past write my future. And here's what I want you to know: if I can do it, so can you. You don't need to be rich. You don't need to be perfect. You don't need to have connections. You just need to be determined. You need to be willing to try, to fail, to learn, and to try again. You need to believe that there is more for you than the circumstances you were born into. I am still on my journey. I am still building. I am still becoming. But I am not where I used to be. And that is the point. One step at a time. One day at a time. One small win at a time. If you are a girl reading this, and you feel stuck, remember me. Remember Mahroofah. The girl from a background where education was not the norm. The girl who was bullied. The girl who cried. The girl who doubted herself. The girl who kept going anyway. You can do this. You really can.