Beautiful Nigerian lady, Hauwa Umar Usman, pictured above, recently graduated with a first class degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Brighton, England.
Hauwa who hails from Kano state, is the daughter of Major-General (ret) Umar Tudunwada Usman, who was an Army Chief of Transport and Logistics.
Hauwa’s story is so inspiring because while still in school, she was diagnosed with dyslexia but she, however, did not allow the learning difficulty to slow her down.
Speaking to Global Sentinel, Hauwa revealed why she chose to study Aeronautical engineering.
“My choice to study Aeronautical Engineering was one out of curiosity for aircrafts at a young age.
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into due to how challenging and demanding the male dominated course could be.
My Father has been very supportive since day one of my academic journey. He had always taught me to be patient, learn from my mistakes and always do my best, because ‘my best is enough.
Despite the odds, I was determined that I would not let myself down and most especially my Father. Because, I knew he had sacrificed so much to make sure I have the best education. During my studies in England, I experienced some challenges, which a British friend noticed where signs of dyslexia and suggested that I take a dyslexia test. I had never heard of dyslexia ever in my life. I contacted the dyslexia team at the University and they were very helpful in explaining the disability and I was told that even the smartest scientist like Albert Einstein had this disability.”
Dyslexia is a “specific learning difficulty” that can cause certain problems with the ability used for learning, such as reading, writing, and understanding a task among others. Hauwa stressed that intelligence is not affected as she under took the stages of assessment for dyslexia “and it was discovered that I had a certain level of learning difficulty.
The most important thing at that stage in my life was how to manage and develop a strategic way to understand where my difficulties affected me more”.
According to Hauwa, she had her moments of highs and lows during her undergraduate days.
“Whilst studying, I had my ups and downs and at the edge of wanting to give up, I always remembered my father’s words ‘it’s a challenge studying Aeronautical and yet you have come this far and I am so proud of you.
My Mother had taught me to never lose hope in anything I do and that my hard work won’t go in vain” She stressed that her “success in Aeronautical Engineering has been through hard work, stepping out of my comfort zone, understanding strategic ways to manage my learning difficulties, having a positive mind set and most importantly the encouragement from my family and friends during my most challenging times, allowed me to be amongst the very few with a first class degree in Aeronautical Engineering”. She advised parents not to attack any child because he or she cannot perform a task. “No child should be hit or beaten because they do not understand a task. The need to diagnose dyslexia in individuals especially at a younger age by both parents and teaching staff in Nigeria must be emphasized more.” Congrats to her!
