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Every time I took a moment to think, in lecture, during the midterms, my mind would swarm with fear and I felt crippling anxiety.
Such a devastating loss was a huge life event for me and was very difficult to overcome on my own.
The lesson I learned is that if something's not working or doesn't feel right, it could be because it's actually not right (which is okay!) a change is needed.
I didn’t know anyone at the University of Waterloo. This made me extremely nervous, worried and anxious. I wasn’t sure if I would fit in or make friends immediately.
As an undergraduate student, facing challenges is inevitable. In my first at University of Waterloo, I was faced with the challenge of failing a chemistry midterm.
I found out that I had failed an organic chemistry midterm and inorganic chemistry midterm on the same day.
I felt badly about myself and there were times when I wouldn't even look into mirrors. I constantly pointed out flaws about myself.
Immediately I felt disheartened, worried about whether I would be able to remain in my program, and scared of what people would think of me.
All these factors made me feel overwhelmed. More than ever, I needed to be close to my family but that was not possible (because they are in Uganda and the borders were closed).
I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong, so I started to think that I didn’t belong here, I could never do it, and started to feel really down.
This is a story and experience of daily resiliency and coping.
I received a paper back from a professor with a low grade and the word lazy written in large, capital, red letters across every page.
It was an emotional roller coaster. I wasn't coping well, and my anger was growing.
Language barriers and being a single mother to two kids were two of my biggest challenges while trying to obtain my Canadian dentistry degree equivalency.
In an attempt to cover the acne on my cheeks. ⠀
I didn't know if I was going to passs.
I felt dumb, unworthy, and like an imposter.
In all of this, I was reminded of my mortality and that each breath, each smile, each day is a gift.
My internal resources were my acceptance and my determination to find meaning from my adversity.
It wasn’t until the final term of my MA degree, after taking a necessary health leave from both my degree and my full-time job, that I finally began to figure out how to enhance my mental health while pursuing my goals.
Of course, there is never one reason why we consider alternatives or make particular decisions, like leaving university.
I thought my academic future was ruined.
My career took nearly two years to get back on track.
Though I felt I was well prepared and qualified, being overlooked caused me to either pivot in my career path, and/or acquire new experiences and education.
First-year pharmacy was a big adjustment and I entered the program two weeks after everyone else.
I was an exhausted mom of 3 children aged 5 and under coming back from a maternity leave, and I really didn’t know how I would ever finish up my master's program.
Many people told me that it will be too hard, that I will not be successful and that I should focus on getting a job and be happy where I was.
