#BNCampusSeries: Studying Counsellor Education Helped Ameerah Yakub Attain Mental Wellness

Editor’s note: For the next 3 months, we’ll accept and publish students’ experiences on Nigerian campuses through the #BNCampusSeries. Beyond the four walls of the classrooms, so many things happen on campus, and our goal is to document the various aspects of this phase. The BellaNaija Campus stories will explore academics, finances, love, school anxiety, mental wellness, relationships, and everything in between, and we invite you to be a part of our effort to share the diverse experiences of campus life.

In 2018, Ameerah Yakub, a student of Counsellor Education at the University of Ilorin quit her passion for acting when she had issues with her mental health. But a random test helped her find her way back. Read her story!

I have always wanted to become an actress. Although I struggled with my mental health, I started acting and making funny videos in 2016, and this made me happy and fulfilled. During that time, I was also studying Mass Communication at the polytechnic

In 2018, I got my first acting gig with a popular actress but my mental health conditions got worse, and I couldn’t perform properly. I had just started practising my religion and rather than focus on my career, I decided to focus on the peace of mind that comes with my religion, so I quit acting. However, this affected my mental health more. I had trouble describing my condition. I couldn’t specify whether I was happy or sad. To be honest, I’ve had issues describing my emotions since I was a child. This was what  spurred me to study Counsellor Education at the University of Ilorin. My intention was to receive help for myself, and then gain the necessary tools to help children who face similar challenges.

When I got admission to the University of Ilorin in 2018, I was indifferent about it. In my 100-level days, I’d make people laugh but when I got back to my hostel, I’d cry my eyes out. I knew something was wrong with me but I didn’t know what it was. It was a really trying moment.

As a Counsellor Education student, I started learning more about mental health problems; the causes, effects and treatments. I learned from classes in school and I’d go online to read more about it after class. I tried to seek help but it seemed as though I was seeking attention, but learning about it helped me point out the kind of help I needed.  

All this while, I had avoided going back to acting, but in January 2020, I acted on stage in school for a minor course that was mandatory. It was a test and somehow, I got to play the lead character. The day we performed was the first day I felt genuinely happy in school since I got in. I felt butterflies in my belly. Then and there, I knew a part of me missed acting for film. That day, it seemed I had found an essential part of me that had long been lost.

I decided to start all over again but in a different way. I decided to put my pains into my crafts and make them valuable. In June 2020, I started acting and creating content again. I understood I couldn’t pour from an empty cup, so I sought help. Omo! Therapy is expensive. I was lucky to get a therapist who agreed to work with me even when I didn’t have a dime to pay her. The kindness of my therapist is one of the reasons I always extend kindness to others.

From my school programme, I had the opportunity to work at different secondary schools and this allowed me to connect with kids from different backgrounds. I realised I was right about my life purpose – to heal and be there for kids.

I was receiving therapy, studying Counsellor Education at the university, finding time to learn and work on my craft, and getting to know who I truly was. In the process, I realised that there was more to me. I could teach well, I cast news in Yoruba and English fluently, I could make voiceovers, I could anchor events in extraordinary ways (my lecturers can testify, haha) and I believe there’s still more to me. I mean, there was a time I attempted suicide. Now, I’m really thankful for the grace of another chance.

(August 15, 2023) Ameerah and friends on #back2school day during the Final Year Week

Life on campus is such a great experience; you discover and rediscover yourself. Now that I’m leaving, I’m anxious about the life outside but I am certain that I’d leave as a different person, and not my old self.