01/08/2025
Baby in One Hand, Books in the Other: How a Bonafide of Katsina Graduate with First Class Honors
By Abdullateef Faruq
“If they had told me, years ago, that I would one day cradle a newborn in one arm while preparing for an engineering exam with the other, I might have smiled in disbelief.” That’s how Khadijah Bashir’s journey unfolded, a journey not paved with ease, but powered by purpose, faith, and grit.
Khadijah Bashir, an indigene of Katsina State and a proud first-class honours graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS). My academic journey started like many others, wide-eyed, hopeful, and hungry to succeed. But everything changed when, in my 300 level, I got married. What followed were murmurs and doubts: “Can she manage?” “Engineering isn’t for the faint-hearted, let alone a married woman.” I heard them. Loud and clear.
“Then came the twist most didn’t see coming, when I gave birth during my 400 level. Just one week before my first-semester exams at the university clinic. While others revised notes and crammed formulas, I rocked a baby to sleep. Many believed it was the end of my academic dreams. But instead, it became the beginning of a deeper, fiercer journey,” she said.
Faith: My Internal Generator
In those toughest moments, when the nights were long and sleep was rare, Khadijah’s faith kept the lights on. I turned to prayer not only for strength but for stillness, a reminder that Allah never burdens a soul beyond what it can bear. My parents became my moral compass, my husband, and my friends.They were the unsung heroes of my journey.
Together, we turned late-night study sessions into moments of shared laughter and unwavering resolve. Those nights weren’t just about problem sets, they were about problem-solving life itself.
From Theory to Touch: SIWEP and Real-World Spark
My 200-level Students Industrial Work Experience Program (SIWEP) opened a window into the real world. It was more than a pro