As I looked up at the sky that night, my heart searched eagerly for the brightest star. Spotting one fueled my desire to be a shining star, one that others should emulate in my family—a beacon of hope for others. This aspiration arose from the fears that gripped my elder sister.
"Since you are done with secondary school, you have to write JAMB and secure admission to the university," my brother's words sounded like rain on zinc.
"I'm scared. I don't want to waste your hard-earned resources. What if at the end I don't come out with a good grade?" my sister's decision to forgo school was one she had already signed and stamped.
Being troubled by lots of rumors from undergraduates on the struggles that come with obtaining a degree in the university and the fear of failure cast a shadow over her. Her fear was my source of motivation. I didn't let that kill my dream of becoming a shining star and one everyone in my family could be proud of. Her fear triggered my zeal to become a graduate one day.
In the heart of the city where we live, dreams were achievable with hard work, and that flame kept burning and never wished to cease. In that same spirit, I graduated from secondary school and sat for JAMB, an entrance exam for higher education. The corpers' uniform was a symbol I valued so much and saw as the greatest accomplishment, which truly it is.
One afternoon, as I made my way through the Plaza, one of the busiest streets of our city, I spotted a group of corpers gathered at a nearby spot. Their white and Khaki uniforms stood out in the metropolitan city, and as I watched them, a sense of purpose stirred within me.
It wasn't just their uniforms that caught my eye, but the way they carried themselves with confidence. At that moment, I knew that I wanted to be like them, to make a positive impact.
In 2016, the journey to attain this height wasn't an easy one. In the quiet hall were about 400 young aspirants seated with pounding hearts and eyes fixed on the computers set before each of us as we battled. All effort was on how to get a good score that would grant us admission to the university.
The first threat to my aspirations was scoring 217 out of 400, which was the overall score for the number of questions set for the exam. In my room, I sat with my eyes soaked in tears when I saw my score. The thought of rewriting next year clouded my mind. How sure am I that next year would be the year triggered my fear.
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Despite the doubts that ran through my mind and the fear that echoed in my heart, I didn't give up. I knew the only way to get a high score was to study harder. Sitting in one of the JAMB classes, "Excellent Academy," all the advices from the coordinator, the lessons learned, and constant studying of past questions brought me a step closer.
Then, after a resit, I finally received the congratulatory messages, and my journey began. As the weight of financial hardship pressed down on me, forcing me to consider suspending my academic pursuits, a lot of emotions clouded my mind. Doubt held me, whispering to my ears that my dreams were too big for me.
Yet, below the surface of uncertainty, my determination grew. With each challenge, I resolved to push forward, refusing to let them define my journey. I made the difficult decision to temporarily put my studies on hold for a semester, knowing it was a sacrifice to actualize my dream.
Along the way, I found strength in others who were like me, and we kept pushing ourselves forward with all effort. I never allowed the challenges to distract me from being that star I wanted to be. My family was supportive in all areas they could; they needed that name in the family. In the end, my dream was realized.
I graduated and received my result and am currently doing all the necessary registration to leave for service with the June Batch. As I presented my result to my family, I was more proud of myself than they were for me because I knew I had become the shining star I had always longed to be.
In this moment of victory, I learnt that success is a journey that comes with struggles and one that only determination and sacrifices can help one to become a winner. As I await in anticipation to proudly wear the corpers' uniform in a few months to come, I feel a sense of accomplishment and joy knowing that I can achieve anything I set my mind to achieve. I became a source of motivation to my siblings just like the star that directed the three wise men.