Once upon a time there lived a young girl in a small town of Pakistan. She was 22-year-old and her name was Umaima. She had many dreams and her biggest wish was to support her parents financially, because her father had very little means of living. Umaima was studying in the fifth semester at a private university.

One day she saw on the noticeboard that their exams were going to start and they had to submit a hefty amount of Rs60,000 to the university administration to sit for the examinations.

Umaima became extremely worried since she was aware of her family’s financial problems and knew that it would be difficult to come up with this much money in a short time.

But being a brave girl, she did not lose hope.

She went straight from the university to her house and asked her mother if there was any money set aside for such an expense. Her mother shook her head in sheer dejection and said there was very money in the house that would hardly be enough to meet household expenses.

Umaima felt very depressed because she could not give her exams and had to discontinue her education. For three months she was in a state of depression, because she couldn’t complete her education. But one day her father said to her that she should not feel sad because everyone one knows that she is capable and Allah would soon do what is best for her.

These comforting words from her father changed her life, and with great enthusiasm, she started looking for a suitable job and applied at many places, but most of them turned her down. But her luck changed for the better when an offer finally came her way.

During the interview, the HR manager asked her why she wanted the job? She replied that she wanted to support her family. The man posed more questions, which Umaima responded with confidence and aplomb.

Two days after the interview, Umaima got a call from the office which informed her that she had been selected for the position and she was directed to collect her appointment letter from the office the very next day.

A relieved Umaima was over the moon. And when she went to the office, she asked the manager why he gave her this opportunity even though she hadn’t completed her graduation?

The officer expressed that it does not matter that she didn’t have a degree to support her credentials, because what mattered was the talent she had.

After happily receiving the appointment letter, Umaima hurried back home and hugged her parents in gratitude. She said: “I am very grateful to have you two. You always stood behind me, whenever I felt despondent. You made my life”

Days flew by and the family’s financial crisis disappeared. In time, Umaima proved herself as a valuable employee and was soon promoted by her employers.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 20th, 2021