Doris Hayes

Student

“When I have a problem, I call my teachers, and they always call right back. If you ever need help, you can get it here.”

“What I would like people to know about Nigeria is that it’s a rich and beautiful country. But we do have a lot of political problems now because of the military takeover,” says Lagos-born Doris Hayes. Though she’s a little worried about her mom and dad back home, she at least has a lot of family to call here. “I have three sisters in the States and we’re all in school,” says Doris, who is studying nursing. “One of my sisters is becoming a physician and my family is very happy about what we’re doing. Back home, an education is one of the most important things in life,” she adds. “It’s everyone’s goal to prove that they’re from a good home.” But Doris has several other goals in mind as well.

“Right now, I’m concentrating on becoming a Registered Nurse because I love taking care of people and working with the elderly,” she says. “But then I plan on being a criminal lawyer. And because I’ll need my bachelor’s for law school, I thought I might as well get my nursing degree along the way.” If degrees in both nursing and law seem like a lot of work, that suits Doris just fine. “I’m studying at SMC sometimes until 10 at night,” she says. “I love studying and I want to get ahead in my classes. I have friends who drop their classes because they’re not easy or because they don’t like a certain teacher. And that’s not right!” she says with enthusiasm. “You have to stay with it if you want to succeed.”

When asked if it ever makes her uncomfortable—walking across campus alone at night after a long day’s study—Doris replies, “Not in the least, because they have very good security at SMC. And as a woman, you will feel very comfortable about walking alone here.”

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