A Nigerian man, Gideon Oluwabori, has shared his inspiring academic journey as he finally became a registered nurse. The final-year nursing student at the University of Ibadan opened up about the challenges he faced before gaining admission to study nursing.
UI Nursing Student Shares UTME Experience
On his LinkedIn page, Gideon Oluwabori recounted how he wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for four consecutive years before securing admission to study nursing. He explained that his struggle was not due to a lack of intelligence or ambition, but rather the need to survive.
He wrote: "There was a time in my life when writing UTME became an annual routine. Not because I wasn’t intelligent. Not because I lacked ambition. I was simply trying to survive. For the first few years, getting into the university was not even the real battle. Feeding, working, moving from one job to another, and staying afloat mentally were the real battles. I wrote UTME repeatedly for four years while watching many of my secondary school classmates post matriculation pictures online."
Gideon admitted that the experience affected him deeply. "To be honest, it got to me. There were moments I questioned my journey. Moments I felt left behind. Moments I wondered if life was moving faster for everyone else except me. But one thing changed my mindset completely: I realized progress is personal. While I was comparing myself to people who seemed ahead of me, there were people looking at my own life and seeing strength, resilience, and growth. That perspective changed everything for me."
He eventually made the decision to leave home and move to Ibadan to pursue nursing at the University of Ibadan. "At that point, failure was no longer an option. Today, I am a Final-Year Nursing Student and a Registered Nurse. And looking back now, I’m grateful I didn’t allow pressure to define my timeline."
Reactions Trail UI Nursing Student's Experience
Gideon's story sparked reactions on social media, with many taking to the comment section to congratulate him. Joshua Oyetunde commented: "The greatest progress is refusing to quit. That line stood out for me. I would quote this and keep it close by. Thanks for sharing your story." Chisom Obioha said: "You have come this far. And for real, your pace is valid, so quitting is not an option too." Oyindamola Akinsola added: "That last statement is top notch."
In a related story, the best graduating student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan. Meanwhile, the Lagos State University (LASU) best graduating student also opened up about her admission experience in an interview with Legit.ng, sharing her admission struggle, school experience, and future goals.
