Despite being married and having one child, a 24-year-old lady named Sumayyah Abdallah has graduated with a Medicine degree and won 23 awards as the best-graduating student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Nigeria. She also won a cash prize worth 400 thousand naira.
Sumayyah obtained her bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Nigeria. Despite being a married woman and mother, she bagged the degree with an outstanding distinction.
She won the award of overall best graduating medical student in the university and was also awarded 23 notable awards for her remarkable performance. Sumayya was also awarded a cash prize worth 400 thousand naira as reported by Tribune.
She said she got married in 2021 immediately after her fourth year in the university and gave birth about 3 weeks away from her fifth-year examinations. Summayah said she had so many good grades throughout her time in the university which made her achieve the feat.
“Alhamdulillah, I feel really happy, seeing the smiles on my parents’ faces and their tears of joy is the most satisfying feeling in the whole wide world,” she said while expressing her excitement about her achievement.
She mentioned that marriage did not affect her but rather it motivated her to work harder. “Marriage affected my studies positively, it gave me more motivation and determinants than ever. It made me more focused on achieving my goals,” she said.
She stated that having a baby in medical school, especially while carrying the 9-month pregnant, and taking care of the child after delivery was challenging for her. Sumayyah stated that it was because she had to read, go to lectures, and sit for many tests.
She added that while in her fourth year, she wrote several of her continuous assessment tests in a hospital bed. “I faced challenges but challenges are part of life, and we are not as perfect as the picture you see, I was scared at some point in time,” she said.
Sumayyah said she almost gave up her dream to be a lifesaver or doctor due to the challenges but she saw a reason to keep going. She stated that her parents’ hard work, dedication, and support as well as her sibling’s encouragement are what pushed her to never give up.
She expressed her gratitude to her husband and her child for their support noting that they went through the hurdles together. ”Thanks to my husband and my little Zayd too, we went through it all together,” she said.
Advising undergraduates, Sumayyah told them to always stay humble, and avoid overconfidence, and friends. “What is worth doing is worth doing well. Most importantly, pray as if you’ve never read anything and read as if you’ve never prayed,” she said.