I fear that only Nigerians or people who understand Nigeria’s academic system would understand this story- the story of a girl who had a dream of becoming a medical doctor. A dream is only fantasy until it becomes a reality. “You define your story”, “You define your future”, “You write and tell your own story”, “Don’t let J.A.M.B jamb you”, these are phrases my mother often told my brother and I as means to motivate us to read our school books. Every parent’s wish is that their children become greater than they are. I admit that I was not the smartest student in class but I wasn’t the dullest either. I never gave double thoughts to my grades. As long as I passed and didn’t have to retake a class, I was good. I really settled for mediocrity. My mother was quick to notice this and tried her very best to make me realize that the course I so earnestly desired was not one to take lightly. Having both parents as medical doctors gave me a sense of entitlement that this was a family inheritance that would casually drop on my lap. Reality however hit me when I wrote an external examination- General Certificate of Education. Nothing hurts more than unexpected failure. It crumbles every and any iota of pride one has and leaves you vulnerable. I broke. Failure shattered me. I didn’t fail just one subject, I failed many and this made me realize that I was unprepared for what the future held. This sour experience was the jolt I needed to kickstart my academic zeal and pursuit of studying Medicine and Surgery. I had few months to prepare and I made sure to make use of time which was clearly not on my side. 

       I read like I had never done before and I was optimistic that my next exam would be better than the previous one. I took extra classes, solved many past and possible questions and prayed to God for good grades. I passed. However, it wasn’t enough for the course I wanted. Two hundred and ten was a little above average and what the University required was an excellent A student and not an average student. I got an earful of remarks- expressing disappointment, from my parents. My parents gave their honest opinions to me about how unhappy they were and how they had invested too much for the kind of result I got. They however didn’t give up on me or disown me like I thought they would. Rather, they enrolled me for an advanced level examination. Everything I needed they provided for me during the eight months of preparation for yet another examination. I read for long hours and watched as my body complied with unfavourable conditions like late night reading in mosquitoe inhabited areas and poor sleep of four to five hours. I barely rested, I slept with thoughts of my books and woke up with dreams of books. I took several tests and minor exams during the eight months and the results were the same as the others, average. I took the final exams with faith that a miracle would somehow happen, maybe for once in my life, I could actually have straight A’s.

      ‘If you read you will pass’, teachers would always tell their students. What if passing wasn’t enough? I was four points away from the cutoff required to study Medicine and because of this I was offered another course. I wanted to save human lives and bring smiles to patients’ faces like I watched my parents do for fifteen years but instead of getting admitted to do just that, the School admitted me to study plants. Plants! All my life, I had paid little to no attention to the terrestrial ecosystem. I got another admission from a second University to study Pharmacology but it made no difference to me as long as it wasn’t Medicine. My parents however asked me to make a choice between the two offers. I opted for Botany because I was to be admitted to two hundred level via direct entry and still hoped for a chance to reapply for Medicine while progressing with my Undergraduate Program in Botany. My first examination in the University as an Undergraduate student was the same as the rest - average. I was beyond sad to see new friends I met in Campus rejoice for having an A in their exam, while I had a B or a C. Why didn’t I have an A?, I questioned. I wasn’t jealous, I was genuinely happy for them but there was a sadness that filled my heart and I couldn’t ignore it. I approached a guy whose news spread round the Faculty. He had 6 A’s and 1B in the same examination I wrote. I was determined to have a conversation with him and find out his secret. I fixed a meeting with him and then we spoke.

      ‘You used to be an excellent student in primary School. You can still do excellently’, my mother would tell me but it was hard to believe. As far as I could remember, I was an average student who read hard to avoid dropping below average. My conversation with Femi was a long one but I was able to pick out useful tips I hoped would help me excel. ‘You have to love your course’, he said with a small smile that was a contrast to the frown etched on mine. I was in love with Medicine majority of my life, you don’t just wake up ten years later and decide to love another course. He reassured me it was possible because our stories were similar. He wanted to study Medicine but He was admitted for Marine Science. His ability to adapt with the new course made him get the excellent result I admired. He made me realize my attention was divided, a part of me was holding on to my past - my love for medicine and the other part of me was present in my reality- Botany. It was a hard decision to make but I am glad I made it. I chose to fall in love with Botany. It took me months of research, work, studying and questioning to finally love the study of plants. Femi was right. Last semester, I had all A’s. My Mum was right. I still had it in me. I am glad I never gave up. If I did, I wouldn’t have a story that could inspire generations but now I do. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it and develop passion or love for it. Failure isn’t an end to your life. You can try again. You should try again. This is my story, it isn’t finished yet but it is definitely going to have an happy ending.

#WM2024