I am a late bloomer, academically speaking. My Bachelor’s degree was at age 30 but then I was already a mother of 6. I didn’t pursue higher education immediately for obvious reasons, despite a First Class Honours at undergraduate studies. I returned to personally see to my children’s education, 8 at the last count.
To spur them further, I picked up a postgraduate application form 20 years after my B.Ed. The Master’s dragged for so long that I went for a Doctorate soon after. I was nearing 62 and already a Retirée when I defended my PhD Thesis in May 2019. I got ready for the March 28 graduation ceremony of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, had my gown tailor-made and waited… You know the rest of the story.
I am writing this to inspire someone. All of us cannot move at the same pace. What counts is arriving at our desired destination. For me, just owning and rocking this regalia every time I’m a guest speaker at a graduation event is it!
“When a man says yes, his Chi concurs.”
My eldest granddaughter just won a Russian Scholarship to study Medicine in Russia. Prior to this development, she was a 100 Level BSc Nursing Science student at Ebonyi State University in Nigeria. I’m beyond excited!
Joan Oji
