Tell Your Story #51(I Will Break This Chain)

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Hello beautiful ladies,

I’m excited to share my entry for "Tell Your Story #51" in the Ladies Universe Community. I want to appreciate @ruthjoe for organizing this thoughtful contest.
This is not just a story , it’s my truth, my pain, my fight, and my growth.
I come from a background where being a graduate seemed impossible… but I chose not to remain a victim of that cycle.

In this post, I share how I rose from mockery and hardship, and how selling cooked corn on the street helped me keep chasing my dream of becoming the first graduate in my family.

I hope my story reminds another woman out there that:

“Your background may explain your beginning, but it doesn’t have to define your ending.”

Thank you for reading. I hope it inspires you.
I Will Break This Chain
I come from a humble background. Yes, we fed well, but that was about it. We never had all we needed, and even dreaming about our wants felt like a luxury.

In many families around me, there are at least one, two, or even more graduates. But in mine, not even one. Not a single graduate.

People mocked us. They whispered behind our backs. We were the “family of illiterates,” the “bad-luck people,” the “family of setbacks.” Sometimes, it was even my fellow ladies who mocked me to my face, and I would go home and cry silently. But I knew one thing: something had to change.

Not long ago, I made a bold decision. I told myself, "I will break this chain. I will fight the history of failure and rise, even if it’s hard. Even if no one supports me." I had no sponsor, no one to push me forward. But I stood up anyway.

I did everything myself. I handled my admission process alone, and guess what? I got admitted into the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

That was just the beginning.

The real battle began afterward. I had to struggle to eat. I had to struggle to pay my bills. As a lady, taking care of myself became a daily burden. Sometimes, my stomach would bite from hunger, and I would still have to show up strong.

One day, I broke down in tears and said to myself, "I cannot give up."

And that’s when I started a small business. It wasn’t fancy. I sold boiled corn (maize) on the street, after lectures. Yes, the same me who sits in class during the day goes out to hustle at night.

Some people don’t believe I’m a student until they hear me speak. Then they say, “Wow, she’s real.”

And guess what? Despite everything, the hunger, the hardship, the tears, I still made it through last semester with:
✅ 3 A's
✅ 2 B's
✅ 2 C's

What I’ve Learned:

I’ve learned that poverty can’t define you unless you let it. That history can be broken. That I am the first graduate in the making from my family. I’ve learned that a lady doesn’t need comfort to become powerful, just faith, grit, and God.

To My Fellow Ladies

They may laugh now, but they won’t laugh forever. Your story may start with pain, but it doesn’t have to end there. Don’t let your background pin you down. Stand up, rise, hustle, cry if you must, then wipe your tears and keep going.

You are the hope your family has been waiting for.
And guess what? You will break that chain , just like I did.

the truth is that's is not any easy battle
One day, I will look back at these pictures and smile, not because the journey was easy, but because I didn’t give up.

I also want to invite @mercybliss and @jemilatbuhari to participate in this contest.

Thank you for going through my post and blog. I hope to get feedback