24 years-old Married Woman Emerges UDUS’ Best-Graduating Medical Student, Bags 23 Awards

Sumayyah Abdallah, a 24-year-old graduate of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), has been declared the best-graduating medical student for the 2022/2023 academic session, bagging an impressive twenty-three awards.

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The awards ceremony took place at the university’s auditorium on Saturday, December 9, where Abdallah was honored with plaques and cash prizes. She reflected on her academic journey, which began in 2015 with about 140 students, but only 79 were inducted into the medical profession as graduates.

Abdallah, a native of Agaie, Niger State, and a mother of one, spent eight years on her medical journey. She was decorated with various prizes for her academic success, including plaques and over four hundred thousand naira (N400,000) at the induction.

She got married in 2021 immediately after her 400-level and gave birth about three weeks away from her 500-level examinations. “Marriage affected my studies positively, it gave me more motivation and determination than ever. It made me more focused on achieving my goals,” Abdallah said.

In the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program, students’ performance is measured by grades, not Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Abdallah said she had so many good grades that made her deserve the feat.

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Expressing her excitement about the achievement, she said, “Alhamdulillah, I feel really happy, seeing the smiles on my parents’ faces and their tears of joy is the most satisfying feeling in the whole wide world.”

Abdallah also shared how she balanced her marriage life with her academic pursuit, revealing that she wrote many tests in a hospital bed in her fourth year. “I faced challenges but challenges are part of life, and we are not as perfect as the picture you see, I was scared at some point in time,” she said.

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Having a baby in medical school, especially carrying the pregnancy for 9 months, and taking care of the child after delivery was a strenuous experience. “Thanks to my husband and my little Zayd too, we went through it all together,” she added.

Abdallah advised undergraduate students who are determined to attain such academic feats to stay humble, focused, and avoid too many friends. “What is worth doing is worth doing well. Most importantly, pray as if you’ve never read anything and read as if you’ve never prayed,” she enjoined.