By Irene Best Nyapendi
By eight years, Sharon Evelyne Abeja was already living a life of a responsible adult. At that age, she was aware that she had to wake up early enough to prepare her younger brother for school, as well as prepare porridge for her three-month-old sister. All this was in addition to preparing herself for school.

As Abeja and her younger brother headed to the school, they would leave their three-month-old baby with their neighbor. At lunchtime, Abeja had to take her younger brother home and prepare a meal for him, before rushing back to school. At that time, her mother had been taken ill and her father was at work. 

And Abeja’s classmates, having discovered her challenges, did not spare her from words of scorn: “Look, there goes the daughter of the mad woman,” her classmates often mocked her.

Abeja’s mother developed mental illness soon after giving birth to their younger sister. And she has lived with that condition for 15 years. Occasionally, her condition improves, especially if she adheres to the medication prescribed for her. For the times when she does not, she relapses. And because of that, Abeja has carried the burden of being a mother to her mother, as well as the rest of her siblings. It is not uncommon to find Abeja moving with her mother to hospital. 

The condition of Abeja’s mother worsened in 2019 when their father married another wife. Seeing her mother go through life’s challenges because of her medical condition, Abeja said when she completed Senior Six, she had only one course in mind at the university – social work. That explains her choice of Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration which she pursued at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

That journey at UCU ended on November 29, when Abeja was awarded the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration at the UCU Mbale University College. Abeja was also announced the graduate with the highest marks. According to Abeja, she knew she was a high performer, and she also knew she had earned a First Class degree. However, what she could not have imagined was that her marks — a Grade Point Average of 4.71 out of 5.0 — were the best among the people graduating that day.

According to Abeja, her determination and the discipline in managing time helped her succeed. She had a routine that allowed her to balance her studies with other extra-curricular activities that were conducted in the university.

When Abeja chose to study at UCU, she purposed to not only benefit from studies, but also the strong Christian foundation in which the institution is rooted. However, she says getting acclimated to the university environment was tough. For instance, she says when she arrived at the university, she soon discovered the social gulf that existed between her and the rest of the students. Abeja said she reported to university with old clothes and only one pair of shoes. Because of that, she says, she often felt out of place. However, she repeatedly consoled herself: “One day, I will wear something new.”

After her first year at UCU, her father’s job contract ended, leaving the family without an income. She thus had to take up part-time jobs during holidays, such as farming, working as a shop attendant, and even making snacks to sell to school-going children. 

She says she worked so hard but earned so little, which felt overwhelming. But she did not give up. During her first semester in her second year, Abeja discovered a scholarship opportunity at an organization where she was a volunteer. She applied for it and was fortunate enough to get the scholarship.

Throughout her time at UCU, she lived with relatives because she could not afford the hostel fees at the university. Now that she has graduated, Abeja aims to contribute to a more compassionate society and be able to address pressing issues like poverty, inequality, and mental health challenges. 

School
Abeja attended Kumi Township Primary School before switching to Auruku Ominai Primary School due to her mother’s illness. She then joined Sun City Primary School in Soroti and eventually wrote her Primary Leaving Examinations at Emmanuel Christian Nursery and Primary School. She studied secondary education at Ngora High School, where she joined UCU. 

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