Nigerian female scholar identified on Facebook as Oluwalofunminiola Oyindamola Ojo took to her social media profile to share an inspiring story of her category on her journey to academic.
Starting her caption, the lady said the she Held on to her dreams without giving up.
You can read through her encounter, and possible attainments below;
“And I didn’t give up!
Instead of letting go, I held on to my DREAMS..
Here is my story:
I was admitted into Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo at 16. I had my first degree in Biology Education at 20 and a Master’s degree at 26 which was sponsored by
Carnegie New York Sponsored Scholarship for Female Postgraduate Students, USA (2010 intervention) with lot of painful stories but Funmilola conquered that saga..
I immediately put in for a Ph.D. and the plan was to finish in 3 years, I had it in mind to bag the Degree before 30th, Yes before 30th birthday. Like most things I do, I was expecting this too would be successful but the enchantment of you’re moving too fast, a single girl with Ph.D. may not have a suitor anymore blablabla. You need to go and marry. The admission was forfeited and of course, I gave relationship a chance and I marry the marriage wey dey hungry moi family in 2015🤣🤣🤣. Got job same year and put in for Ph.D. later.
The journey began in 2017 and it’s indeed the unimaginable journey. It was filled with lots and lots. I almost lost my sanity, was emotionally drained during the program. At a point, I approached my supervisor that I wanna put it on hold. The man felt my pains and he gave me time to have a rethink of such decision. I told him my mind was made up, I can’t continue this anymore, you’re not frustrating me but life itself was dealing with me.
I left for months but my supervisor never leave me in a week without calling back, he said and I quote Funmi, mi ò se àsetì rí, please come and finish this program I was his last student as he’s retiring in few years then. His words hit me hard and I pleaded with him to still give me few more time to think deeply. After several words, pleas from colleagues in lab, my mom, supervisor, I went back to wrap up.
It wasn’t easy at all but I learnt patience and perseverance. It was really challenging balancing academics with work and lots more, I got query at work, lots of annoying words and many more. I was always on the road, lots of close shave with death through accident. Ondo and Ife garage drivers already knw me, they do reserve my seats paapaa. I still dey owe them liquor🤣🤣🤣”
Days rolled into months and months into years. I would sob most times in the lab looking for chromosomes (the most difficult thing of my life). I cried myself to sleep each time I had unfulfilled day cuz it was looking like an unfinished degree maybe as a result of change in field of specialization too.
The most annoying part was all my family members and few colleagues have started calling me Dr. yet no clue of finishing at all…
Well meaning friends told me to persevere. It took me years of pains to achieve my dreams.
It wasn’t even the years I spent cux I can still say I was lucky to finish in four (4) years with Coronavirus saga but the battles within those years were more than my age…
And that’s the story of years of hustling and tussling, solid years of perseverance, consistency, hard work and ruggedness. I finally got it done successfully!!
It’s PHinisheD!!
Unto the next, GOD take the lead💃💃💃💃💃
APPRECIATION!
Thankful to these two bodies for Grant Awards:
- Bill Dahl Graduate Students’ Research Award, Botanical Society of America, USA.
- Award of Academic Staff Union of Universities Research Grant towards Doctoral Thesis, ASUU Nigeria.
Signed:
Oluwalofunminiola Oyindamola Amope Mabel Omo Akin, Ph.D.
B. Sc. Ed. (Biology) 2007, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo city, Ondo State Nigeria.
M.Sc. Botany (Plant Anatomy) 2013, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.
Ph.D. Botany (Plant Anatomy and Genetics) 2021, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.
HALLELUYAH 🙌🙌🙌🙌
11-12-2021″ – SHE ENDED
