THE GIRL I MET IN AE FUNAI

Sometimes, the people who change our lives do not arrive with a warning.
They simply appear.
No announcement. No special moment. No idea that, years later, you would look back and realise, “I am glad I met this person.”
That is how Onyinyeoma came into my story.
I cannot even remember every detail of our first meeting. 😂 She probably remembers it better than I do.
We were about to write exams. My phone had been stolen that day, and I was talking to someone about it. She happened to be there.
That was it.
Just an ordinary day.
I had no idea that the person standing there would become someone I would learn from, appreciate and remember long after university.
When I first came to AE FUNAI, I thought university was mainly about getting a degree.
Attend lectures.
Write exams.
Pass courses.
Graduate.
But somewhere along the way, I discovered that university teaches you much more than what is written in textbooks.
It teaches you through people.
You meet people who become your friends.
People who challenge you.
People who disappoint you.
People who help you.
People who encourage you.
People who believe in you when you are struggling to believe in yourself.
And sometimes, you meet someone who quietly brings out a better version of you.
For me, Onyinyeoma was one of those people.
She is intelligent, resilient and naturally caring. She has a way of loving people without always expecting something in return.
Even when she has her own battles, she can still find space to care about someone else.
That kind of person is rare.
But what I appreciate most is the way she pushes people to do better.
She pushed me too.
Sometimes through advice.
Sometimes through correction.
Sometimes simply through the way she approached things.
She made me realise that I could not always settle for what was comfortable when I knew I was capable of more.
And that is something I will always appreciate.
But the more I think about it, the more I realise that this story is not really about Onyinyeoma.
It is about all of us.
Because somewhere in your life, there is probably an Onyinyeoma.
Someone who helped you when you needed help.
Someone who encouraged you when you wanted to give up.
Someone who saw something in you that you could not see in yourself.
Someone who made a difficult period a little easier.
Maybe you have never even thanked that person properly.
Maybe they do not know how much they meant to you.
That is the strange thing about kindness.
We often do not know where it ends.
A person can say one sentence to you and forget about it five minutes later, while you carry those words for years.
Someone can help you with something they consider small, while that same help becomes a memory you never forget.
Someone can simply sit beside you during a difficult time, and years later, you still remember that they stayed.
We underestimate the impact we have on people.
You might think you are doing nothing special.
But someone might be watching you and learning how to keep going.
Someone might be inspired by your resilience.
Someone might be encouraged by your kindness.
Someone might be trying again because you told them not to give up.
You may never know.
That is why I have learnt to appreciate people.
Not only the people who have done something huge for me, but also those who made the journey lighter in small ways.
The friend who checked up on me.
The coursemate who helped me understand something.
The person who shared a laugh with me on a stressful day.
The person who gave advice.
The person who challenged me to become better.
Even the people I met briefly but who left something behind.
Because not everyone we meet is meant to stay.
Some people are chapters.
Some are lessons.
Some are memories.
And some become part of the story we carry for the rest of our lives.
As my time in AE FUNAI comes to an end, I have started looking at university differently.
I am not only thinking about the degree.
I am thinking about the people.
The conversations.
The laughter.
The struggles.
The unexpected friendships.
The people who helped me become who I am.
And the people I may never realise I also helped along the way.
So, if you are reading this, take a moment to think about the people who have made a difference in your life.
Have you thanked them?
Have you told them you appreciate them?
If you have not, maybe you should.
Do it while you still can.
Because one day, the people you see every day may become memories.
The conversations you take for granted may become things you wish you could have again.
And the people you thought would always be around may no longer be there.
Appreciate people while they are still part of your story.
And if you are currently going through a difficult season, remember this too:
You may not realise it, but someone could be learning strength from the way you keep going.
Your story might be giving someone else hope.
Your resilience might be someone’s motivation.
Your kindness might be someone’s reason to believe that good people still exist.
So keep going.
Keep becoming better.
Keep helping people.
Keep loving genuinely.
Because life is not only measured by what we achieve.
Sometimes, our greatest achievement is the person who became better because we crossed paths with them.
And maybe, years from now, when I look back at my university days, I will not remember every exam I wrote or every lecture I attended.
But I will remember the people.
People like Onyinyeoma.
People who reminded me that even in a competitive world, kindness still matters.
That helping others still matters.
That resilience still matters.
And most importantly, that the people we meet can become one of the most beautiful parts of the journey.
Sometimes, you think you are just passing through someone’s life.
You do not realise that you are leaving a piece of yourself behind.
And sometimes, while you are busy looking at what you have lost, life quietly places someone in your path who becomes one of the things you are most grateful you found.
That is the beauty of people.
That is the beauty of life.