Sally Vandu ……Class of 2010!

Cadet Sally Vandu is presently a senior at the premier military institution of the world, the United States Military Academy at West Point. She is the first female from Nigeria to have the forty-four months training experience at West Point, New York.

Sally completed her internship with the Pentagon and United States Institute of Peace at Washington D.C. Recently; she was awarded the Physical Fitness Excellence medal for being proficient in military skills. Over the course of seven semesters, Cadet Sally has taken a lot of diverse and challenging classes as well as completed multiple military field exercises. The whole military experience has pushed her beyond what she initially thought she was capable of and has been very rewarding. Sally looks forward to graduating West Point eight months from now and be commissioned as a Second lieutenant.

In Sally’s words “Throughout my learning process, I have come to the realization that success is not all about achieving your goals and aspirations. Success is about learning from your mistakes and thriving hard to become a better individual every day. Growing up, I was timid and had a quiet personality. As a child, I wanted to become a doctor but over the years my perception changed and I decided to join the military. A lot of my friends are still surprised about the decision I made joining the military. However I made a personal decision of challenging myself and going out of my comfort zone.

I vividly remember when I graduated primary school and my parents wanted me to attend a good high school so they ended up choosing Stella Maris College because they heard it was the best school in Abuja. Attending Stella Maris College gave me the confidence to believe in myself and strive for excellence. Before attending Stella Maris College, I never knew I was capable of going to an institution like West Point. But Stella Maris College instilled in me the value of hard work, a trait that is incredibly important while working under stressful conditions in the military. I am a product of Stella Maris College and I can proudly express my gratitude to its faculty members.