Some stories just stay with you, and Rosemary’s is definitely one of them.
When she decided to share her university admission struggle on TikTok, she probably didn’t expect it to touch so many hearts – but that’s exactly what happened.
Picture this: a bright young woman who’s so good at math that her classmates come to her for help.
She should be sailing through school, right? Instead, life had other plans that would test her resilience in ways most of us can’t imagine.
According to Gistreel, it all started when her father fell seriously ill. While other teenagers were focused on typical high school concerns, Rosemary made a choice that shows the kind of person she is – she quit school to care for him and prepare for JAMB at home.
“I wrote my first JAMB when my father was sick,” she explained in her emotional video. “I had to quit school to stay at home, read for JAMB, and care for him.”
Here’s where the story gets really tough. She passed that first JAMB exam – proved she had the brains for university. But passing the test was only half the battle.
The university demanded money her family simply didn’t have, especially with medical bills draining their resources as her father fought his eight-year battle with illness.
So began what would become a five-year cycle of hope and disappointment. Five times she sat for JAMB.
Five times she proved she belonged in university. But the system kept finding ways to shut the door on her dreams.
The emotional toll was devastating. “Most of my classmates I taught mathematics graduated before I even got into university,” she shared, her voice carrying the weight of those painful years.
“It was painful. At some point, I isolated myself from them.”
But Rosemary’s story isn’t just about struggle – it’s also about love. The way she talks about her late father reveals where her strength came from. “My father could speak every language in Nigeria.
He knew the history of each state and village because he traveled a lot,” she said with obvious pride. “Whenever he was around, he told us stories about different cultures.”
When Rosemary finally shared her story, the response was overwhelming. People didn’t just offer sympathy – they shared their own battles. One person wrote JAMB seven times, another struggled from 2011 to 2018.
“I wrote JAMB 7 times, not because I failed but because I wasn’t given admission. Now I’m in 400 level studying Economics. I thank God,” one commenter shared, offering hope alongside solidarity.
