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A Nigerian student studying in Germany has gained widespread attention after recounting an unexpected and heartwarming encounter with a professor who went out of her way to assist her in finding a classroom. The student shared this unique experience, which she claimed would be unlikely in her home country, Nigeria.
The student took to TikTok, under the username big sosap, to share her story. She explained how she became disoriented while searching for one of her new classrooms and resorted to seeking help from those around her.
She asked several students for directions, but they were unable to assist her. Eventually, one student suggested she approach a nearby professor for guidance.
“I thought, ‘Ask a professor?'” she recalled. “In Nigeria, approaching a professor directly is not something you do lightly. You’d think twice before even considering knocking on their door.”
To her amazement, the female professor she approached didn’t just provide verbal directions; she went above and beyond by pausing her lecture to personally accompany the student around the building until they located the correct classroom.
“This woman left her students and followed me around. I was like, so you people are human beings too? Nigerian professors and doctors, you people are not God o!”
She said the experience completely changed how she viewed lecturers.
To top it all off, the same professor later told her students not to call her Doctor or Professor, just her first name, Petra.
She added that the experience opened her eyes to how much fear and hierarchy dominate Nigeria’s education system.
“I need to correct a lot of mentality I carried from Nigeria,” she said. “I need to start seeing people as human beings, not gods.”
Her story has since sparked conversations online, with many Nigerians sharing similar experiences and calling for a more humane, approachable academic culture back home.
Watch video below…
@big_sosap Nigerian university really messed up my mentality. I used to see professors as demigods 😭 #LifeInGermany #NigerianInGermany #CultureShock #StudyAbroad ♬ original sound – SoSa💎🇳🇬🇩🇪
