Federal University Dutsinma Gudu-gudu, sauri-sauri, she struggled to make her way through the crowd. There was nothing that her body could do except be trampled upon, as many people gathered at the gate, where security personnel had stopped them for checks because no student was passing through. She tried to show her ID card, feeling frustrated as the crowd pushed against her, blocking her path. Today was the first day she was supposed to enter class at the university. As she tried to push through, she felt her hijab being tugged, indicating that someone was pulling her back. He, too, rushed past, fussing to show his ID card. She caught a glimpse of him; he was a tall, young man… Anwar! Anwar!! Someone shouted after him as he dashed away. Just as she showed her ID card to push through, he turned to see who had called him, never stopping in his hurried pace. She examined him closely, convinced that she would never forget his face. She sighed briefly and took another route. After some inquiries, she discovered her class, and once she entered, she saw a class full of faces. Her eyes scanned the room; it was evident that she was the only Muslimah, as none of the other girls wore a hijab or any indication of her tradition. Most of them barely understood Hausa, and it seemed that the lecturer had already distributed scripts for a test, reiterating that the class representative would hand them out. He moved along the rows as he distributed the papers. When he reached her, he leaned down and began to ask her questions. At that moment, all the attention of the class shifted to her, eagerly waiting to see if she could respond in English the way he was speaking, while others stifled their laughter, including Anwar, since everyone was aware of how Hausa students struggled with English. She merely huffed and did not give him a response. Everyone was astonished. Anwar stood there, watching her despite himself, impressed that he had come across her today. The lecturer soon gave up on her and walked away, noting that if she didn’t respond to a question, then he would assume she didn't know anything. Just then, the class representative finished handing out the papers, and the lecturer said anyone who didn’t receive one should step forward. Two girls stepped out and stood for over six minutes before the lecturer asked if they were the only ones. There was silence before he repeated the question, but no one spoke. He pulled out three papers and called out Hamza Yusuf; he mentioned the name over ten times, but it appeared he was not in class as he was the highest scorer with 9/10. He looked to the two remaining students and said they were the second highest, having scored 8/10. He handed each of them a thousand naira as a reward, instructing the class rep to send Hamza Yusuf to his office to receive his prize and exam script. As he reached the door, he turned around and asked her name. With her head down and her face almost touching her desk, she managed to stammer, “Bilkisu Abdullahi Gada.” He nodded. “Discuss the macro objectives of ERGP in Nigeria; you will present it next week to everyone as a makeup for this test.” After making that declaration, he walked away, leaving her to jot down the question in the back of her book. Everyone in the class was staring at her, noticing that she seemed unfazed. Anwar turned to his friend, smiling as he said, “That girl has guts.” Seeing that class was about to end, she quickly got up but stumbled awkwardly, nearly falling over. As Anwar was gathering his materials to stand, she glared at him, saying, “Aren't they teaching you manners about how to treat a woman in your household?” Her direct comment stunned everyone who had been planning to leave—everyone froze as Anwar quickly turned to look at her. She shot him a disparaging glare before exclaiming, “You! How dare you pull my hijab as I was trying to go past you…” “Hey!” he shouted at her, standing up. She also retorted, “You're the one with no manners!” and flashed him a look of disdain. “If your hand ever dares to touch my hijab again, trust me, you will regret it. Anyone who stops you in this school, I will make sure I see him.” She clicked her tongue bitterly and pointed at him with a gesture, “Stay away from me; I didn’t come here to joke." She cast her papers to the ground and returned to her seat. Anwar was about to explode with anger but was held back by his classmates, who were shocked by the confrontation. They tried to calm him down, noting how ridiculous and unnecessary it was. Because of them, he reluctantly restrained himself. Feeling embarrassed, he left the classroom, went to his dorm room, and started preparing for Bilkisu's presentation as he planned to throw questions her way. As for Bilkisu, she lived in a six-room lodge where everyone shared, but she never shared her space with anyone because her parents had given her a private room, knowing how expensive the dorms were. The rooms had a kitchen and bathroom, costing about 120k. She followed the discussions of a couple of girls who had already received gifts and photocopied their notes. At two o'clock, they went to another lecture. She was determined not to be late and made sure to pay attention to the atmosphere of the classroom. Anwar was in a frenzy thinking about how he would get back at her, while Bilkisu, untouched by his thoughts, focused on undertaking her studies. That day, she spent time preparing in her room while trying to check her textbooks along with browsing the internet. When presentation day finally arrived, with the class numbering over a hundred, the lecturer came in with a microphone. Though she was nervous and anxious, Bilkisu maintained her composure. The only reason the lecturer was present was to ensure that she was not facing the same situation as Anwar. With her expression calm, she rose to the front of the classroom as she took hold of the presentation item. Her nerves nearly overwhelmed her as she realized her hands were trembling. At that moment, she noticed tears forming in her eyes, then quickly caught herself, saying, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un.” She stood there, bowed her head, and began to speak softly, with a tremor in her voice filled with anxiety. “My name is Bilkisu Abdullahi Gada, and I am here to present the macroeconomic objectives of Economic Recovery and Growth (ERGP)…” The class slowly fell quiet, hanging on her words. The lecturer observed her, nodding his head as he engaged with her speech. She delivered her presentation with growing confidence as she captivated her classmates with her fluent command of the language. Time seemed to fly as she spoke for nearly fifty minutes, until the lecturer finally interrupted her, with his own heart softening. Bilkisu took a deep breath as she noticed the class was still calm. “Are there any questions?” she asked. An overwhelming silence fell! The lecturer tossed a question at her. She hesitated, as if she would struggle to respond, but eventually began to articulate her answers clearly. After she finished, the lecturer remained quiet for over six minutes, watching her. Finally, he turned to the class, and said, “Please help me give her a round of applause.” The entire class erupted in cheers. It was utterly astonishing, including Anwar, who found himself speechless. He reached into his pocket, pulled out five thousand naira, and handed it to her while saying, “Congratulations! You scored 10/10, indeed…” The class erupted in shouts of joy. Bilkisu offered a small smile before taking the money and walking back to her sit, her body still trembling with emotion. The entire class was in chaos, celebrating her achievement. The lecturer exited the room just as Anwar stood up to reach her, saying, “Congratulations! Let's see your reward in person…” He had a mischievous glint in his eyes. Ibrahim and their classmates stared with wide eyes, waiting for Bilkisu's reaction, knowing how Anwar was perceived as arrogant. Everyone was curious about what would transpire, but she merely smiled broadly, saying, “(Because Bilkisu has no intention of holding a grudge—once it is over, it’s over for her.)”