"LAST WORDS: DON'T DATE A STUDENT"- SHARON:A FINAL YEAR STUDENT. INTERVIEW!

EDUCATION MAKES A WOMAN GLOW MENTALLY AND EVEN PHYSICALLY!
That a girl gets morally below standard only because she attends a Higher Institution of learning, is not entirely true, rather it is a platform where she discovers herself, not just all she is, but all she deserves, and doesn’t settle for less.
We see a confident, focused and happy woman!
One of such young women is Sharon, a final year student of the Prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. As she and the rest of her mates prepare to take a bow from the four walls of the University, she tells an amazing story of her sojourn, navigation, the highs,lows and success at last.
Sit back, Relax and Enjoy!



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CAN WE MEET YOU?
My name is Arinze Ifedinmma Sharon, I attend Nnamdi Azikiwe Awka, Anambra State. I’m student of Geological Sciences.

WHAT INFORMED YOUR CHOICE OF STUDY?
Initially, I thought Geology had a lot to do with Geography which in secondary school, I loved. So I decided to go into it, but I later found out that was not the
case. It has just little part of Geography.

COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT A STUDY OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES IS ABOUT?
It is about using your resources on earth to figure out what is beneath the earth, what is happening underground which may cause a reaction on the surface of the earth, it is a study of the rock, the soil, and everything underground. Geography has its usefulness in different parts, like the Hydro geologist figure out where there is water, in cases where a bole hole is to be dug, and how long the amount of water could last. Also a geologist's function in the oil industries will be to help check if there is oil in a particular place. We even work with Civil engineers and all kind.

GOING INTO THE UNIVERSITY, WHAT WAS THE FEELING LIKE?
I felt excited that I was going to be away from home. I am the last born of my family and the only girl, it shows that I am now growing up, I will be able to take care of myself and all that.

WHAT WILL YOU SAY WAS THAT PERSONALITY WEAKNESS YOU CAME ALONG WITH?
I was shy and not confident, I had this problem of always telling a friend to accompany me to where ever I want to go, it always feel like the whole world was looking at me and waiting for me to fall, but I feel more confident now, than then.

SO FAR WHAT POSITIVE IMPACT HAVE THE UNIVERSITY HAD ON YOU?
School provided me with great friends who helped me in most ways, I used to have this trouble of recalling faces and events, which was so bad, I had friends who helped me work on that, also my friends liked to study a lot, more serious and intelligent than I am, so when I have some difficulties in understanding any topic in class, they helped explained it. One of such friend I cannot forget is ogechukwu Okafor, she taught me so many nice things I cannot forget in a hurry, she is my roomie. We met in school, she is in my department and my Year as well.

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY PARTICULAR CHALLENGE YOU HAD IN STUDIES AND HOW YOU PULLED THROUGH?
I had this carry over in 200level, I don’t like mathematics, but I had to do it in both my 100 and 200 level, and I thought carry over was inevitable, I cried so much when I had it, I was feeling really bad, cos I promised myself I wouldn’t have any carry over and I put in efforts, but math was just not it at all. I eventually wrote it and passed, a friend of mine, not in my school really encouraged me, told me to go for tutorials and do something about it.

CONSIDERING THE SOCIETY’S GENERAL PERCEPTION THAT UNIVERSITY AFFECT LADIES NEGETIVELY , HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO HANDLE THIS ASSUMPTION?
Funny enough, I had the good , the bad, and the ugly friends, I had really strong bad influences but the good once prevailed over the bad ones. Some of these girls sleep with really older men, that was one aspect I cautioned myself against, I do talk to the girls against it, whenever they want to introduced me, the first thing I ask is, “Is he married?”, but the one I really did was clubbing, I remember in my Year one, I got carried away, there was this time we left school after exam, and clubbed three days in a stretch. Then in 200level too, but it reduced after a while.

HOW WHERE YOU ABLE TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE TO GO ALL OUT WITH THOSE FRIENDS?
I tried not to miss church, and I mark things on my Bible, or what the Pastor says I will just write it down, so any time that kind of thing comes up, I will just come and open and be like “God I need strength”, it seems funny, but if I go back and start reading, I will just get the strength and tell myself that all these things, I will still get them even if I don’t get them now. I believe so much in that. Then I had other good friends, and we will always talk about what is right and not.

AS A STUDENT MONEY SEEM NEVER ENOUGH, HOW DID YOU COPE WITH THAT?
I knew how to manage right from time, I always tell my parents too. And I was doing Makeup, I could do a quick one for a lady and collect like 3,000 naira, I learnt before I came to school. Sometimes I travel to do the jobs, I have gone to Imo, Enugu and around Anambra. Though I paused this final year, because of how busy I got. The highest money I have collected was 45,000naira I did both her traditional Make-up and the white wedding.

WOULDN’T WANT TO ASK SPECIFICS, SO TELL US WHAT YOU LEARNT ABOUT DATING IN UNIVERSITY PERSONALLY?
In school, I didn’t really date anybody, the one time I almost did, it wasn’t funny, you just end up catering for the person, like you go to the guy’s house, cook for him, when he comes over, you cook again, the issue really is that the friendship you may want isn’t really there, they are just there for something else, wanting to get in your pants, at the end of the day it is even unless, because even if I am in 100level and he is in 400level or something, how long will it take him to build up, like say two to three years or more, will he be ready?, and even they know, and they will just be looking for what to take, even though I have seen very few people it has worked for, I can’t really say much about student relationship.

WHAT WAS ONE EVENT IN SCHOOL, THAT IS MEMORABLE FOR YOU?
I think I remember one experience, I am a catholic, a friend of mine invited me to Winners Chapel, I shuffled between there and Catholic, you know Catholics do not have a specific time set out for testimony, though they believe in it. I had to walk forward to give a testimony one of the Sundays at Winners Chapel, it is something I have never done before in my life, it took so much courage. I felt really happy giving that particular testimony, but I had stage fright, though I felt normal afterwards even now it will take me a lot to do it again!

DID YOU HAVE ANY ISSUE WITH ANY OF YOUR MALE LECTURERS?
It was in my 100Level, during one of those borrowed courses, the lecturer called and asked why I was making noise, but I was not making noise. I sat on my friend’s lap, a guy, he told me to see him after Class, I got information that he was a womanizer, so I took my friend's stylish ring and wore it like a wedding ring, eventually, he believed the story. When I went home and I gisted my mommy, she gave me one of her wedding ring.

WHAT EXPERIENCES WILL YOU MISS THE MOST AS YOU LEAVE SCHOOL?
I think I will miss the freedom, being able to just stand up and go out, there is this Eatery, called “Fendy” they have the best Smoothie, lolz. I will miss it. I will miss my friends.

LOOKING BACK NOW AS FAR AS YOU HAVE COME, WHAT WILL YOU HAVE HANDLED DIFFERENTLY?
The effort I put into my books, I think it was really less than I should have, I realized that in this final year. Looking back, I would started reading from the first day they started lectures, so that during exams you are not cracking your entire brain with work of several months.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR IMMEDIATE EXPECTATIONS AS YOUR LEAVE UNIVERSITY?
I am still praying for guardians and really hoping that between now and my birthday in two years I am a billionaire, not Millionaire o, lolz, I don’t know how it is going to happen but I know I have to take steps, I really want to just make it, either I get a good job, or obviously entrepreneurship wise, but I am still yet to make a good plan, because basically, the only creative thing I have is just the Make-up, but if I want to grow how I have in mind I don’t think it will take me there.
Then also I will really love to have a stable relationship that is heading somewhere reasonable, hopefully the person is encouraging and supporting me, not those that will be telling me you have to stay at home, these are the two things I look forward to.

WHAT IS YOUR FAREWELL SPEECH TO YOURSELF AS YOU LEAVE THE UNIVERSITY?
I will say, “Keep working on yourself, keep growing in God, because I know he will take you there, I will miss my friends so much, and thank you Unizik, both the good and the ugly, you have helped me in some way. Welcome to the new world, hustling world, as they call it!

NOW GIVE AN ADVICE TO THIS GIRL ABOUT TO COME INTO THE UNIVERSITY AND SHE WANTS TO SEE IT THROUGH YOUR EYES?
First of all I will tell her the most important thing, “Don’t forget what you came to school for so that at the end you are not regretting anything, then have fun o, go out, don’t lock yourself in, make reasonable friends and be careful. Beware of the boys, not that you wouldn’t make friends. Sincerely, if I want to advise any student I will say, don’t date a student, and when you are ready you can decide to date anyone ‘outside'.

Contact Sharon. sharonrinzee@gmail.com.
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