Campus LifeBurstCorgi

5d ago 3 min read

My university Story

I was in my final year when I discovered that the happiest-looking students on campus were sometimes the ones fighting the hardest battles. By then, I had spent almost four years in the university. I knew the lecturers, the cheap food spots, the difficult courses and the friends who would call at midnight just to ask, “Guy, you dey awake?” Campus had become home. Then my father lost his job. Things became difficult almost immediately. My school fees became overdue, transportation became a problem, and there were days I attended lectures without eating. Whenever my friends invited me to eat, I would smile and say, “I’ve eaten already,” even when I hadn't. My girlfriend knew what I was going through. One night, I opened up to her and she promised we would get through it together. But months later, she left me because she was tired of dating someone who was always struggling financially. That breakup nearly destroyed me. I became quiet and started avoiding people. I would sit at the back of the lecture hall while everyone discussed their plans after graduation. I smiled with them, but inside, I was wondering if I would even make it to the end. Then my mother called one morning and told me my father had been hospitalized. We needed money urgently, but I had almost nothing. I eventually told one of my classmates, expecting sympathy. Instead, he contacted our course mates, and by evening, they had contributed money for my family. That experience changed me. I realized that sometimes the people who save you are people you never expected. My father eventually recovered, and I returned to school. I started doing small jobs to survive. I sold clothes, designed flyers and helped students with projects. It wasn't easy, but I refused to quit because I knew how much my father had sacrificed for me. Then, three weeks before my final defense, my father died. I stopped going to school for weeks. When I returned, my classmates were preparing for graduation. They were taking pictures, buying clothes and making plans for life after school. I was trying to process the fact that the man who wanted to see me graduate would never be there. I eventually completed my project, but I missed an important clearance deadline because of everything that happened. My friends graduated without me. I watched their graduation pictures online that night and cried. Not because I wasn't happy for them, but because I had imagined myself standing beside them. I eventually graduated, but not with my set. Today, whenever I see students on campus, I remember my own story. I don't judge the person wearing the same clothes repeatedly or the student who never joins outings. You never know what someone is carrying behind that smile. Some students are battling school fees. Some are hungry. Some are grieving. Some are working while studying. Some are simply trying to survive until graduation. So if your journey is taking longer than others, don't give up. I once thought I was behind because I didn't graduate with my set. Later, I realized I wasn't behind. I was simply taking a different route.