Ukraine war shatters Nigerian student's dreams

"This is the second time ... trying to graduate with a medical degree in Ukraine," said Bisola Ehi Ogolowa, a fourth-year medical student at Dnipro Medical Institute, located in central Ukraine. 

"It's the second time Russians have put a stop to me ... " she added, before beginning to weep profusely. Crying and talking in fits and starts, she spilled out her story.

Fleeing the 2014 unrest

Ogolowa was 19 when she first came to Ukraine in 2013, excited to start her medical degree in a country whose universities have a solid reputation.

But then, early in 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, annexing the southern region of Crimea. A few weeks later, Russian-backed separatists started fighting Ukrainian forces for control of the Donbas territories in eastern Ukraine.

She had never experienced such chaos before, said Ogolowa. Worried about her safety, her family and friends convinced her to return to Nigeria.

Back home in Katsina State, she still dreamed of of becoming Dr. Bisola Ehi Ogolowa.

"It's so amazing how you can treat someone to get better," she said, explaining what fueled her desire to practice medicine. "The human body is so amazing and intriguing — being able to work with it, work on it, to produce something better."

Hopes for a US medical degree

So when Ogolowa's mother told her she had gained a place at the University of Central Oklahoma in the United States, her joy knew no bounds.

In Oklahoma, Ogolowa started studying clinical lab science to fulfill the four-year pre-med requirement for US medical schools.

In her second year of studies, however, Ogolowa's family ran into financial difficulties and she had to drop out.

Some of her acquaintances urged her to make an arranged marriage to a US citizen so she could stay there and work to pay her way through medical school, an idea that Ogolowa was quick to dismiss.

"I sat down and said: 'Why do I have to go through all these?' 'Why do I have to sacrifice my marriage because I want to get papers in US?' So, I said: 'God, if I were to do this thing, I don't think I'll be the same person again'."

Ogolowa returned to Nigeria once again, but her mental health was suffering.

"I was depressed, I was frustrated. I thought about suicide because I felt like anytime I wanted to do something, there was always something stopping me."

Return to Ukraine

By 2019, the Ukraine conflict had died down. Ogolowa still wanted to become a doctor more than anything, so she enrolled once again at a Ukrainian university.

But, once again, a Russian invasion has shattered her dreams.

"Now, 2022, another war, I have to leave Ukraine again," she said. "It's not like I'm not serious or ... I have given up. I'm not giving up. Nine years on this road, but it's like there's always something."

When Russian troops launched their invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Ogolowa originally didn't think of leaving. Like many, she didn't believe it would turn into full-scale war.

Two days later, as bombs started falling on neighboring towns, she realized the danger. She managed to secure a spot on an overflowing train to Lviv, in Ukraine's west, along with two friends.

In Lviv, another struggle began. With tens of thousands of people fleeing the Russian invasion, Ogolowa and her friends were simply unable to board a train to the nearby Polish border, especially as soldiers were prioritizing seats for Ukrainians, she said.

The African students quickly changed plans, heading for Hungary instead.

Fled the country again

After a four-day journey, Ogolowa finally crossed into Hungary and found a place to stay with friends of her friend's brother.

Despite having no fixed abode and only a small bag of possessions, Ogolowa is already looking into whether she can transfer to a medical school somewhere else.

But Ukraine is still under siege. More than 2.5 million people have already fled the country, according to the United Nations.

Russian airstrikes struck the city of Dnipro for the first time on Friday; getting a copy of her university transcript so that she can apply for a transfer is unlikely to happen any time soon.

Determined not to give up

The Dnipro Medical Institute has sent out a message, seen by DW, saying it plans to start online classes for medical students at the beginning of next week.

Ogolowa's computer, text books and notebooks are all back in her room in Dnipro. But she's determined not to give up.

"I cannot spend nine years trying to be a medical doctor and give up now," she said.

"I have labored so much for this, I want to see it to the end. If it is impossible, I want to do the impossible."

Edited by: Kate Hairsine