Twenty-three-year-old Faiza was fresh from a broken marriage; she had walked out from an abusive relationship; walked out on her five-year married life in the US and had come to settle in Karachi with an ailing mother and single brother. With two sons in tow, she conquered her distress by wanting to pursue a career. Unfortunately, she only had an Intermediate degree.

“My parents had arranged my marriage when I was in Matric. I fought to delay my nuptials till I had done my Intermediate. I'm so glad that I at least have a F.Sc. degree. Now I want to concentrate on pursuing my childhood dream of becoming an architect. I'm willing to invest five years of my life in getting a worthy degree. I owe it to myself. I have to start fresh.”

If Faiza cried over her broken marriage and the prime years of her life that she spent getting abused in the US she doesn't show it. All she feels is bitterness, and she wants to use her energies to rebuild her life.

“It's tough of course, but my mother helps in taking care of the kids, when I have assignments to finish. College isn't fun for me like all the people I study with, for me it's a chore. I have my sons who depend on me and who have had a tough time in adjusting to a new life here. I can't wait for these five years to finish so that I start practicing and make good money and give them a good life.” Faiza doesn't want to be dependant on anyone. Ever again.

This is just one story. There are countless other stories out there of women who have put so many dreams on hold and have given priority to their families; women who have silently compromised with life and have chosen to wait for the right time or opportunity to pursue their dreams; women, who have turned distress into opportunity and have walked away from one closed door to look for many open horizons.

When Fatema lost her teenage daughter who had been suffering from Cerebral palsy for 15 years, there was a void in her life that she couldn't fill. “I used to devote so much of my time in taking care of my daughter, doing everything to make her existence comfortable, that now after her, I felt I needed do something to put me out of brain freeze.”

Married while she was pursuing her B.Sc., she had spent her time setting up a small boutique which she was running from home. Yet, with the rest of her three children grown up, she felt she wanted to opt for something challenging to channel her energies. “I finally decided to pursue my MBA, something which I had wanted to do ever since I was a young student.” Today, she has come through her first semester at a reputed University with the highest Grade Point Average in her class.

“I 'am' the oldest student in my class but I'm thoroughly enjoying all that I am learning. Of course, I haven't made close friends because the people I'm with are so much younger than I am, and I believe I make them a little uncomfortable as they feel they have to behave themselves around a senior citizen like me,” she finishes with a laugh.

Sarah is in her third year at the department of psychology at KU, but she stands out from the rest of her class because she is twice their age. “I got married when I was in my teens and since then I have always nagged my husband to let me pursue my studies. I used to feel consumed constantly by feeling inadequate because I felt a deep lacking in my education and I suffered a lot of social complexes as a result.” Eventually when her own kids entered their teens did her husband allow her to pursue her degree.

Sarah has tackled her academics with extreme gusto. Her classmates say that she is never behind, may it be project work or class participation. Even though she might not spend her time gallivanting around the university campus, she's never in a rush to leave as far as her work is concerned, and spends hours perusing books at the library and discussing things with her classmates. “I want to take full advantage of this opportunity I have been presented with for rediscovering myself. I feel young again!” she finishes with a grin.

Such stories are an inspiration for many women out there, who have given priority to making their houses into homes, and giving quality time to their families; who have tried to reemerge out of the ashes of the past.