
By Nancy Omotoun, Confidence Emmanuel, Ojochegbe Okpanachi, and Favour Ebhomien
Wuraola Olayiwola showed determination and passion as an undergraduate student at the University of Lagos. With a journey that took her from aspiring to be a medical doctor to discovering her true calling in pharmacy, Olayiwola’s story is one of self-discovery, perseverance, and staying true to oneself. Olayiwola applied to study medicine at the University of Ibadan but didn’t gain admission. Reeling from the disappointment, she pursued a foundational program at the University of Lagos with her father’s encouragement. Her path to academic brilliance began in 2015 but took an unexpected turn, which resulted in her studying microbiology instead of her dream course, medicine.
“While I was about to enter 400l microbiology, I didn’t even think twice before accepting admission into pharmacy because I was restless in microbiology,” Olayiwola said in an interview with UNILAG Sun.
In 2018, while still in microbiology, she took a step back to re-evaluate her motivations.
“I re-evaluated my reasons for studying medicine, and it was because everyone was studying medicine. I decided to study pharmacy and was given admission.”
Aspiring to be a cosmetic pharmacist, Olayiwola delved into entrepreneurship, finding her niche in the makeup industry. To emphasise the attention she gives to her business, she stated that it is her baby. She also draws major inspiration from Banke Meshida Lawal, an alumnus of the University of Lagos and a leading pioneer of the beauty industry in Nigeria.
Olayiwola bagged her first 5.0 in 300l in the second semester when she had more clients and business deals. From this, she concluded that with effective time management, she would graduate with first class, but as fate would have it, she ended up as the BGS. She was also involved in the Future Pharmacy Initiative and Mother and Child Care projects. She’s passionate about inspiring African women, making them feel acknowledged and comfortable in their skin.
She credited her family, particularly her parents, for their support, as well as her friends and her boyfriend, Oluwatosin.
“On days I wanted to read, he would stay up all night to ensure my friends and I were not sleeping. During exams, My friends would tease me and say Tosin is here with us even if he’s not here physically.”
One valuable lesson her parents instilled in her that she kept dear in her heart was: “Whenever you fall, you keep on rising, but when you fall and stay down, you won’t rise, and if you don’t make any effort to rise, you will be stagnant while still on the ground.”
This lesson has kept her grounded, especially when she didn’t get medicine, her dream course after her Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board (JUPEB) program.
She urged everyone to embrace their failure because failure is essential to success. “If you fail and give up, then that’s the real failure, but if you fail and pick yourself up and push yourself a little harder, success is guaranteed.”
Olayiwola’s experience shows that she overcame many tribulations and setbacks, but her resilience helped her overcome all her obstacles and emerge triumphant.
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