(CNN)- In
a side room at the American University of Nigeria, four girls chat and
giggle. One teenage girl in particular catches our attention. She looks
familiar. Then we realize why.
We met her just a few weeks after Boko
Haram had attacked her school and abducted almost 300 students. As the
Boko Haram trucks carrying them began to speed away to the militants’
territory, she and her friend bravely jumped, barely escaping with their
lives. She was one of the lucky ones.
School, she says, from that day on became a reminder of what almost happened. A place she never wanted to return.
But now she is back and the change in her
is remarkable. She dreams of remaining in the classroom as a teacher, so
that just like her tutors, she can influence and inspire young minds.
Studying with her here are 21 other girls
from Chibok. They, too, escaped Boko Haram. Like hundreds of others
across Nigeria’s North East, they were targeted simply for going to
school. Choosing to go back to class is a statement of their courage and
focus on education, which they hope will bring change back home.
“My people need my support,” one girl says. “And me going to school will make that change,”
Focused
She wants to be a surgeon. In a part of
the world often lacking the most basic health care infrastructure, she
has chosen to bring value to her community. One of three students we
spoke to who want to study medicine, she’s extraordinarily focused and
firm in her responses. It is hard to imagine sitting with her now what
she and the other girls have been through at Boko Haram’s hands, what
they almost lost.
Some questions, though, they can’t answer:
any questions about the night of the attack, any reference to the
friends still missing. These are too hard.
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