Olujobi managed to write most of the book during her final semester at Bowdoin-a feat she accomplished despite having a heavy academic load, leading the student Africa Alliance and organizing a series of high-profile events, and working as a proctor for Residential Life. "I stayed up late at night a lot!" she said.

In the quiet stretches of these long nights, she'd finish her class essays and study for exams-and at times send off a job application-and then get to work on her writing. "It was a whole experience," she said. "But I knew this book was so meaningful to me, and I knew I had to find the time, so I stayed up until 2:00, 3:00 a.m."

"Even when it was the hardest to write, I kept reminding myself that this book is more than me, there are many people I can reach with it."

Olujobi grew up in Ikorodu, a bustling suburb of Lagos, with "many struggling to make ends meet," she describes. As a little girl, she would join her mother after school to help run a market kiosk where they sold school bags, shoes, and in time, groceries and household necessities.

After moving in with a wealthier family to access a better education, Olujobi began to harbor the first inklings of a big ambition: to travel beyond Nigeria for college. This dream merged with another she's had since as long as she can remember-to become a doctor.

A few weeks before graduating from high school, she connected with EducationUSA in Lagos, an organization supported by the US Department of State to help foreign students gain admission to American schools.

After two gap years, and managing college applications during the pandemic, Olujobi arrived at Boston's Logan airport in 2021. She describes looking around in disbelief at the crowds and cavernous hallways. She also felt an intense joy.

Making it this far, with a scholarship to attend Bowdoin, was "a big deal" for her, she said, but it was also a big deal for her family, her teachers, her community, and "everyone who knew where I was coming from."

"My arrival in the US was no ordinary arrival-it was the arrival of a dreamer-girl who had come a long way."